The Harassment of Buchou: Game and Match
by UsamiAkihiko
Summary: FINAL Part! With the interschool festival coming up, Tezuka must juggle his responsibilities and his time with his attention-seeking lover. But when a mysterious stalker threatens to ruin everything, what will he do? Fuji x Tez, Hyotei, Rikkai, Rokkaku..
1. Chapter 1

**Hi All! **

**I'm so sorry that it's been over a year since the last story in this series! I don't know if there is anyone still interested in this final installment of "The Harassment of Buchou" series, but if you would like me to continue, please leave a Review so that I have an idea if there's still a lot of people (if any) who still want to read this. **

**Thanks! And apologies again for taking so long! **

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Chapter 1

Spring. It was the time for the blooming of beautiful flowers, the smell of renewed warmth, the welcoming of a new season, and most importantly, the feel of jovial love in the air.

For Tezuka Kunimitsu, it was just another season of headaches, stress, and high expectations, especially since the interschool festival was fast approaching.

The student council president took off his glasses and rubbed the temples on the sides of his head as he groaned at the throbbing currently making him lose his concentration. Stacks of papers sat before him, with requests and proposals from various student clubs and classes. There were suggestions such as having a booth that involved scooping for goldfishes as a prize (which Tezuka found quite appropriate), and strange ideas such as who can juggle daggers without cutting themselves (which Tezuka found incredibly stupid and dangerous). As a responsible model student, the young man must set a good example for his school, and that includes making sure that Seigaku, who would be this year's host for the interschool festival, proves to the other schools just what a reputable and impressive school it is. Thus, there can be no room for error or embarrassment for that matter, and that brings up the next uneasiness on Tezuka's list.

His team.

When asking his team for suggestions on what the tennis club can do at the festival for their booth, he received requests ranging from selling Inui's famous drinks (completely out of the question), having an arm wrestling contest with Kawamura (too much trouble having to explain the reason for students walking around with broken arms), to setting up a kissing booth (which earned a certain tensai 50 laps around the court).

Tezuka sighed. He cared very much about his team and didn't want to suppress their creativity. At the same time, he didn't want them to cause so much trouble and embarrassment. He sometimes wonders if they understand the full weight of the pressure that is constantly thrown upon him as the famous Buchou _and_ the responsible Kaichou.

Orange rays began to light the room with a golden hue, and Tezuka glanced up at the clock.

7 o'clock.

It was late, much too late, especially since they didn't even have practice today. He had stayed after school to finish up his student council responsibilities, and as of now, he has successfully compiled a stack of rejected proposals on one side of his desk. Sighing, he decided to call it quits for the day and began packing up his belongings before locking up the room and heading down the hall. Turning a corner, he stopped by at a classroom he was all too familiar with and opened the door.

There, hunched over the desk with mops of hazelnut hair sprawled on top of the surface, slept the tensai.

Frowning, Tezuka walked over and stared at the young man. The tensai was completely asleep, his breathing the only sound in the room as the setting sun emitted its colors on the silhouette of the lithe figure. Tezuka lifted up a hand and gently patted the locks of hair.

The tensai stirred and mumbled something before slowly opening his eyes. Lifting up his head, he yawned and rubbed his eyes as he made out the figure before him.

"Mo…Tezuka," Fuji beamed. "You're finished already?"

"Already is an understatement," Tezuka said, stepping back as the tensai picked up his bag and got onto his feet. This young man was his very good friend ever since he joined the tennis team, and had even become his classmate during their second year. This young man is also nearly equivalent to him in tennis. Tezuka often wondered if they would have become rivals if the tensai would just take tennis more seriously more often. "You didn't have to wait for me. I'm sorry that it took so long. You could've slept on the couch in the student council room."

Fuji shook his head, his locks of silky hair swaying gracefully with his frame. "I know that the workaholic Kaichou needed his privacy so that he can work efficiently without any distractions," he smiled.

Tezuka blinked for a brief moment as he stared at that infamous smile. "Aa. Then let's go now."

The two left the school, noting the darkening skies as they walked in silence side by side on the road, occasionally hearing the sound of cars passing by and one or two bicyclists pedalling in the distance.

"Ne, Tezuka, do you see that star up in the sky?"

Tezuka stopped along with Fuji and glanced up. "I'm assuming the one that's only visible at the moment."

"Hm."

"But it is not a star. That is Venus, which is clear during sunsets this time around."

"True," Fuji chuckled at Tezuka's bluntness. "But don't you find it beautiful?"

"I find it quite interesting that it is that bright-" Tezuka broke off his sentence as he glanced down at the feel of Fuji leaning his head playfully against his arm, glancing up teasingly with a smile.

"Go on."

Tezuka looked away, hiding his blush.

Truth is, Fuji wasn't just his teammate or his previous classmate. He wasn't just his friend either.

In fact, Fuji is…

A brief warm kiss was planted on his cheek, and Tezuka snapped his head at the tensai who had leaped back. "Fuji! We're outside!"

The young man pouted. "Mo, but you're no fun anymore."

Tezuka threw him a disapproving look. "We're almost at my house. No one's home so…" he hesitated before taking a deep breath. "We can…do it there. If you really want to."

Fuji's face immediately lit up at the notion, and he launched himself excitedly at Tezuka, wrapping his arms tightly around him and snuggling his nose into that large broad chest before him. "You're being so willing today."

Tezuka flushed and glanced away. "That's because I feel bad for making you wait for me after school!"

Fuji looked up, those clear blue orbs glimmering its mysterious trait. "You know I will always wait for you, Tezuka."

Tezuka sighed in frustration.

Truth is…this young tensai is his…lover.

And as much as they have been together for a while now, it wasn't until recently has Tezuka completely accepted their relationship. Things were rocky at first, and became more complicated when an old friend of Fuji's decided to pay them an unpleasant visit. But that has already been resolved, and things have finally started to settle down.

Except, recently, this interschool festival is now taking up a lot more of Tezuka's time, which is why Fuji has been eager to be with him whenever he can, considering the Kaichou is already occupied enough as he is with all his countless responsibilities for the school _and_ for the team.

The two continued walking in the direction of Tezuka's house, and Fuji broke the ice again. "So when is the meeting with the rest of the student council presidents from the other schools?"

"In two days," Tezuka replied. "We are going to begin brainstorming booth ideas and other activities that will be beneficial for the festival."

Fuji glanced up in thought. "So that means Atobe will be there."

"Aa."

"Or who Echizen likes to call…_The Monkey King._"

At this comment, Tezuka barely hid his snort at the flashback of the first year's comment yesterday during practice.

_Oi, Buchou, tell the Monkey King I'll be waiting for him on the courts if he's interested in looking like a Baboon._

"Tezuka?"

"Aa? What is it?" Tezuka snapped back to reality, quickly waiving off that brief humor.

"I love you."

"Fuji!"

"Ahem!" Fuji stopped in his footsteps and crossed his arms, an unusual disapproving look on his face.

Tezuka stopped as well and sighed. "I…love you too."

"Kunimitsu! You're so adorable!" Fuji hugged him again.

Tezuka cringed as his face turned red at the sound of his name. Actually, he hasn't completely grown used to their relationship. Even those words are still difficult for him to say. However, he means it every time he says…

Fuji blushed in surprise at the feel of thick lips on his – a light kiss – before seeing that same serious face now pull back and stare with those stern yet gentle brown orbs.

"Stop stalling. It's getting late. We should continue walking." Tezuka turned and headed off first.

"Ah!" The stunned tensai quickly shook himself back to his senses. "Gomen." He immediately rushed forward and caught up with Tezuka.

The taller man glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eyes. "What is it?"

"Hm…nothing," Fuji beamed cheerfully to himself in quiet satisfaction as the two walked the rest of the way in silence.

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**Please leave a review so that I know if there are still many people interested in this series!**

**Thanks! I appreciate it!  
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	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone for your support and for leaving reviews! I'm glad to know that there are still readers interested in this series. **

**I will continue this final installment. :)**

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**Chapter 2

The day finally arrived when the student council presidents of the nearby schools were coming to meet at the famous Seigaku, and everyone was in a state of excitement. Early in the morning, anxious students gathered around the entrance to the building, talking eagerly amongst themselves about the visitors, especially one particular one.

"Ne, I heard that the famous Atobe will be here!"

"Atobe?"

"_The _Atobe Keigo_?"_

"KYAAAAAAAA!"

Echizen covered his ears from the piercing screams. "Shadduuuuuuup!" he cried out, his voice getting lost amongst the giggles and the excitement. Nearly half of the school was lined up along the sidewalk, eyes searching the road for any signs of the visitors. The first year wondered why he bothered to be dragged for this in the first place.

"Echizen, just let it be. Besides, it's nice having this many girls gather so close around us," Momoshiro, the second-year, remarked in good humor as he and his kohai stood along the edge of the main path.

The first year signed. "Ugh, Momo-senpai. I don't think I can stand their screams much longer. Why are girls so annoying?"

"Ah, but does that mean you find Sakuno annoying too?" Momoshiro raised an eyebrow at his friend.

Echizen glanced away with an indifferent look. "She's…different."

"Oh?" Momoshiro blinked. "Well, just so you know, even with all these girls around," he leaned over towards the first year's ear, "you're still my only favorite."

"Hm?" Echizen blinked, turning his head towards his friend with questioning large eyes.

"Look, there's Eiji-senpai!"

The first year glanced in the direction of Momoshiro's finger as their red-headed teammate joined them.

"Mo, did they arrive already?" The third year panted for breath.

"Not yet," Momoshiro smiled. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're on their way. Oishi is with Taka-san, Inui and Kaidoh were just leaving the lab when I ran past them, and Fuji had to talk to our teacher before leaving." He took another breath. "There's so many people! I think nearly all of the school is here!" Kikumaru watched the sidewalk become more and more crowded.

"We're here!"

The group turned to find the rest of their team arrive.

"Oi!" Momoshiro waved to his friends.

"They haven't arrived have they?" Oishi asked.

"Looks like we're here just in time," Kawamura smiled. "This is really exciting. Everyone's always looking forward to visitors from other schools."

"More like everyone's more excited about seeing that Atobe," Momoshiro motioned his thumb at the group of girls behind him blushing and squealing.

"Hehe, why am I not surprised?" the power player chuckled uneasily.

"This is a great opportunity to gather more data on the other schools," Inui noted as he took out his binder.

"Pssh, I don't see anything interesting about all of this," Kaidoh hissed with his arms crossed.

"But Kaidoh-kun, don't you also look forward to seeing the amazing Atobe?" Fuji joked.

"PSHHH!" the second year hissed even louder.

"So which schools are coming?" Momoshiro asked.

"Well," Oishi began, "Tezuka said Hyotei, Rikkaidai, Fudomine, St. Rudolph, Yamabuki, and Rokkaku."

"ROKKAKU?" Everyone exclaimed at once, suddenly remembering the unpleasant incident with a certain tennis player from that school.

Fuji blinked, noticing all eyes turn on him. "Eh, heh," he chuckled. "Is there something on my face?"

"KYAAA!"

"Gah! Not again!" Echizen covered his ears. "What are they screaming about? They haven't even arrived-" his voice cut off at the sight of his team captain stepping out onto the sidewalk leading up to the front entrance of the school. Walking alongside him was the dean, as well as other staff members of the school.

"Atobe may be popular, but we got our own Buchou who is just as famous!" Momoshiro stated proudly as the students cheered at the sight of their student council president.

Fuji sighed, admiring the stern presence of the tall man now at the gate. Unfortunately, last night, they didn't get very far in bed since Tezuka's parents unexpectedly came home early, much to Fuji's disappointment. So instead, he had to settle with just making out. The tensai glanced at Buchou's tall, stern demeanor. Such handsome seriousness. Such nobleness. Such…

Fuji blinked at the sight of Tezuka tugging his collar upwards uncomfortably.

"Ne, what is it, Fujiko?" Kikumaru asked, hearing his friend chuckle.

"Nothing," Fuji beamed as he saw Tezuka tug on his collar once more. _You're trying to hide that hickey I gave you last night._

"Are they coming yet?" Echizen complained, exacerbated.

"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Oishi reassured him. "Oh look! I see cars approaching!"

Everyone directed their attention to the street to find a line of cars heading their way.

"They're here!" The Seigaku students began exclaiming amongst themselves.

And sure enough, the cars finally arrived, one by one. Stopping in front of the gate, first stepped out the student council president of Fudomine. Next was Yamabuki. St. Rudolph followed suit, and then Rokkaku. Tezuka and the staff members greeted each visitor, bowing and directing them to a student who would lead them to the student council room where the meeting would be hosted. Rikkaidai arrived to even more cheers minutes later. But none could compare to the final arrival.

A distinct, noticeably different vehicle began approaching from the distance, catching everyone's attention.

"Is that car…purple?" Kawamura's eyes enlarged in disbelief.

"It's a limo! A really, really long limo!" Kikumaru jumped up and down excitedly.

Echizen rolled his eyes. Fashionably late…who else could it be?

The car soon came within clearer vision, and everyone gasped at the flashy bulbs of lights that lined the tinted windows of the purple vehicle fast approaching.

The crowd fell silent.

The limo pulled up to the curve and stopped, and all seemed to be still as everyone held their breath. A minute passed by, the dramatic tension building in the air with a pause.

Then the door swung open. A pair of polished shoes stepped out onto the sidewalk, revealing a tall figure dressed in a tie, a beige jacket, and a pair of perfectly ironed pants clearly steamed and cleaned by an exquisite professional dry cleaners. The individual stood up straight, took a step forward, and flicked his expensively shampooed shiny silver hair that seemed to sway gracefully with the wind, except there was no wind.

A smile curved on those pink glossed lips, and eyes lit up with a frightening sharpness and arrogant confidence as fingers graced his face that emitted a mesmerizing glow.

"Be awed at the sight of my prowess," he charmed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ear piercing screams ripped through the air as the girls burst into excitement.

"Oh, please! Seriously?" Momoshiro glared as the rest of his teammates groaned at what they considered a rather disgusting sight. "Do they not remember that he comes from our rival school? And on top of that, do they not remember what he did to Buchou?"

"Can't be helped. The man's too popular," Oishi sighed as he watched the Hyotei student council president and tennis captain wave to the crowd.

Fuji glanced over and giggled upon noticing Tezuka looking seemingly impatient. And then the rest of his teammates held their breath as Atobe walked up to their captain, meeting him eye to eye.

"Tezuka, it's been a while," Atobe greeted, bowing civilly.

"Aaa," Tezuka answered, bowing as well.

One of the student assistants approached the Hyotei man, but Atobe immediately brushed him off.

"Tezuka, would you please escort me to the student council room?" he asked instead.

"Why that asshole!" Kaidoh exclaimed from the crowd. "I'm going to pound that fucker!"

"Calm down," Oishi attempted to appease his kohai, although he was annoyed with the incident as well. The request was rather demeaning and purposefully belittling. But he also knew very well that Tezuka would let it slide, as he usually does with situations like these that he finds not worth his time.

"Aa," Tezuka merely replied, leading the way before Atobe immediately caught up to him to walk with him side by side.

"Maybe he has a thing for Buchou," Momoshiro whispered to Kawamura as the two burst into quiet fits of laughter.

"Oi! You two!" Oishi scolded.

"Hey Monkey King!"

The crowd hushed in shock as Echizen's voice surprisingly reached across the noisy crowd to the Hyotei man's ears.

Atobe stopped immediately in his steps and slowly turned his attention to the audience on his right, looking for the source of the remark. His eyes caught sight of a short young boy with dark hair and sharp cat-like green eyes.

A first year he was all too familiar with.

A look of annoyance seemed to nearly crack that charming confident arrogant smile of the famous Buchou of Hyotei's tennis team.

Echizen stuck out a finger at him. "I'll be waiting for you on the courts today if you're looking to lose, Monkey King," he smirked. "Mada mada dane."

"Echizen, 20 laps around the court at practice today."

"Eh-" The first year gaped, stunned and speechless as the students around him burst out in laughter and Tezuka shot him a warning look.

Atobe smirked, and continued walking with Tezuka.

"Ne, did Buchou really just assign you laps?" Kikumaru giggled uncontrollably in surprise.

"No matter how much we dislike Atobe, he is still a guest at our school today, so Echizen's remark was rather uncalled for," Oishi lectured as he watched his best friend and Atobe disappear into the school along with the staff members.

"True, but it was worth the 20 laps, no?" Fuji chuckled as he glanced over at the first year, who was now crossing his arms with a look of irritation on his face.

* * *

Class had begun, and students secretly chatted amongst themselves, guessing and surmising what the student council presidents could possibly be discussing at that very moment. The teachers, however, were quite annoyed with the fact that half of their students were barely paying attention to the course material.

"SILENCE!" One particular teacher slammed her hands against the desk, frightening her class. "Any more whispers on the student council presidents and I will assign the whole class detention!"

The students all groaned as Kikumaru leaned over to whisper to Fuji, "Ne, everyone's really interested in what's going on in the student council room."

"Hm. And shh, careful. Sensei is watching us," Fuji warned with a small smile as the teacher glared at them.

As Kikumaru sighed and returned his attention to the front, Fuji's mind was preoccupied with a certain someone. If anything, the only one he cared about in the student council room was Tezuka. The tensai bemoaned his situation lately. The two haven't done it for almost two weeks, thanks to Tezuka's sudden increase in responsibilities. He was looking forward to last night, but sometimes things just doesn't go his way. He thought everything would settle down by now, and yet, stuff just gets in the way. It was almost like what happened before the whole camping trip with Rokkaku a while back.

Fuji's mind wondered away from the lectures on mathematical formulas as he debated his options for the day. Maybe they could do it after school at one of their houses, but he wasn't sure of either's schedule. He didn't even know for sure if his sister would be out of the house today. Then perhaps they could wait until tomorrow, but Fuji was growing more impatient each day. He began thinking of stripping that school uniform off. Ripping those buttons. Pulling down those pants. Latching himself onto those lips. Licking all over those blushing cheeks. Thrusting into that hot body crying out his name.

The tensai sighed, deriving Kikumaru's curious attention. If only Tezuka would be more open to doing it in places other than their homes. Actually, if only Tezuka hadn't made him promise to do it only in their private homes.

Fuji glanced up at the board lazily. How annoying.

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"Then it's settled. This will be the final list of club activities, booths, and events that will be present at the interschool festival." Tezuka lined the pieces of paper up in his hands before handing the stack to his secretary.

"I have to say, the students were quite creative this year with their ideas," the student council president of Fudomine remarked from across the round table where everyone sat.

"But some ideas were quite ridiculous. I mean, snail racing contest, really?" the representative from St. Rudolph added.

"This year's main play will be the greatest attraction though," the young man from Rokkaku noted. "Compliments to you, Atobe, for coming up with this idea of having members from each school participate in the school play."

"But of course," Atobe flicked his hands proudly. "As the student council president of Hyotei, I want to set a good example for everyone to show them just what a reputable school we are."

"_Romeo and Juliet_," Yamabuki's school president repeated. "It's a well known play and very popular among the students, especially the girls."

"I'm sure whoever is chosen to participate in the play from _our_ school will prove with their acting skills just how talented the students at Rikkaidai are," a young man eyed Atobe, who threw a haughty challenging smile in return.

Tezuka addressed his secretary. "Please take the list to the dean and let him know that we are finished here and will be going to lunch."

"Hm, Tezuka Kaichou," the young girl nodded as she got up from her seat and headed for the exit, opening the door. "Oh! Fuji-senpai!"

Tezuka blinked as everyone turned their heads to the door to find the girl stepping out just in time, murmuring faintly, "Are you waiting for Tezuka Kaichou?" And then the door shut.

"It's already ten minutes past lunch. I'm hungry. We met all morning," the Rokkaku student council president stretched his arms and legs.

"I agree," another joined in. "Let's go. We're finally finished with this!"

Everyone nodded and got up from their seats, heading for the door. As each person stepped out, Tezuka was the last to go, having to lock up the room, when he found Fuji waiting patiently outside, that same enigmatic smile on his face.

"Ne, Tezuka, are you ready for lunch?" he asked.

"Gomen, Fuji. I need to eat lunch with the rest of the student council presidents."

"Oh?" Fuji opened his eyes, his smile disappearing in disappointment.

"They are our guests, and I must attend to them. The dean and the rest of the staff members are joining us as well later on. I will see you at practice." And with those words said, he left.

Fuji slumped against the wall, watching the tall Buchou walk off to catch up with the rest of the visitors. "Boo, I barely see you anymore," he mumbled.

* * *

Lunch was more exciting that day for the students at Seigaku. Already, the information on this year's school play was leaked and spread like wildfire.

"_Romeo and Juliet_? I can't believe it!" a girl swooned.

"Who's going to play Romeo? Oh, I hope that it will be our very own Kaichou."

"Well, they said they're selecting students from each school to participate in the play, so it may not be one of our own playing the lead."

"I want to be Juliet and kiss whoever they pick as Romeo! I'm sure they'll pick a good, handsome guy!"

When lunch ended and Tezuka saw the rest of the student council presidents off outside the school gate as each returned to their respective schools, the famous Kaichou of Seigaku walked through the hallways with a nerve on his head ready to pop. Seriously, he was going to lecture whoever in his student council leaked the information on the school play so quickly. The announcement wasn't for until tomorrow, and already the whole school knows.

Disciplinary action needs to be taken.

Sighing, Tezuka stopped at a door and took out a key to the student council room. He still had some things to finish before going back to class, but really, he was debating for the first time if he should just secretly sleep on the couch in the room. He was tired, and the responsibilities were really weighing down on him for the past few weeks, but at least the final list of activities were about to get approved, so all he really has to do now is wait.

And then Fuji's disappointing look from earlier popped up in his mind.

Tezuka sighed. He'll try to make up for it later. He will definitely prevent any engagements from being scheduled during his lunch period tomorrow. For now, perhaps he should entertain the idea of a good nap.

Turning the key, the serious Kaichou opened the door and closed it behind him, locking it to make sure there would be no disturbances. Strolling in, he immediately directed his attention to the couch where…

"FUJI!"

The tensai blinked multiple times before smiling. "Ne, Tezuka."

"Fuji, what are you doing in here? Wait, how did you get in here?" The taller man demanded, clearly flustered and confused.

"Mo, does it really matter?" Fuji pouted.

"But no one else has the key except for one other member on the student council…" And then Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows at the realization that Fuji must have found a way to make a copy of the key, possibly by threatening the other owner of the key, and the only one who would help him make a copy is…

Inui will be running 50 laps today during practice.

"Fuji, hand it over."

Fuji crossed his arms. "No."

"Fuji!"

The tensai sighed and reluctantly took out the key in his pocket before placing it in Tezuka's large hand. "You're no fun."

"And why aren't you in class right now?" Tezuka continued scolding. "Lunch ended fifteen minutes ago!"

"I wanted to see you."

"Fuji! We were going to see each other in practice anyway-" Tezuka's sentence caught off as a pair of arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him down. The next thing he knew, he was lying on the couch with the tensai sitting on top of him. Clear blue, dangerous eyes now opened and stared down at him intensely.

"Tezuka, we haven't done it for almost two weeks now."

Tezuka blushed at this and looked away. "You know I've been busy."

Those frightening orbs continued to watch the taller man intensely. Hands brushed up that broad chest before being pushed away.

"F-Fuji! What are you doing?"

"Tezuka, I want to do it now."

"FUJI!" Tezuka gasped, face red as he pushed the tensai away, struggling with him before falling down onto the ground. "Ouch!" he rubbed his head as he now sat on the floor with his back against the couch, body slightly aching. And then, that pair of eyes were up at his face again as Fuji crawled between his legs and glanced at him.

"Tezuka, I'm extremely frustrated right now," the tensai complained. "We barely eat lunch together because you were always finishing up student council duties. We don't hang out on the weekends because you needed that time to catch up on your school work. And we can't even do much after school in our homes because lately, our families are always there." Fuji leaned in dangerously close.

"Fuji, wait," Tezuka held up his hands in defense, clearly sensing the agitation in the shorter man's face. And he knew that when Fuji looked like that, it wasn't good. "Remember, we agreed that we would only do it in our homes, and if you haven't noticed, we're in the student council room!"

Fuji sighed, exacerbated. "I know perfectly well where we are." He grabbed Tezuka's head roughly, feeling the Kaichou now shaking nervously. "And I know that no one will walk in on us." He attached his lips onto Tezuka's without warning, kissing roughly, deeply, devouringly.

Tezuka's eyes widened, and he gasped as a tongue ran up the roof of his mouth before he pushed Fuji away. "Fuji, I promise, I'll figure out some time for us to be together this week-FUJI ARE YOU LISTENING?" Tezuka cried out as he saw the tensai begin to undo the button and zipper on his pants, slowly and tentatively as eyes glanced up mischievously.

Fuji slipped his hand in, earning a cry from the other as he rubbed his hand up and down, pressing hard against the length.

Tezuka threw his head back in shock, eyes widening. Oh gosh, has it really been that long?

Smiling at this reaction, Fuji pulled out the member and lowered his head, licking the tip. He smiled as Tezuka immediately gasped and shook. "Look at you. Your body is reacting from not having been touched by me." He engulfed the head.

"Ah-haa!" Tezuka cried out as he doubled over, hands grasping the back of the tensai's uniform and fingers digging into the fabric. "S-stop! Fuji, please, don't do this," he pleaded. "NO!" Tezuka moaned out loud, unable to ignore the irresistible sensation of Fuji's hot mouth sucking him off. He twitched and whined, trying hard to suppress his voice as Fuji licked and tasted him. His body's temperature was rising, and his breathing became more erratic as his heart beat faster and faster. No, not here. Not in here, of all places. This was the student council room. What would the students, no, what would the other student council presidents think if they knew that this room was now being used in this very indecent manner?

"Uh!" Finally, Tezuka gripped the cloth within his hands and let out a short cry as he shot off into Fuji's mouth, feeling the tensai swallowing every drop of his essence as the taller man shook from coming hard. Panting, he fell back against the couch, eyes dazed as he watched the tensai lift up his head and wipe the corner of his mouth.

"Hm, it really built up, didn't it?" Fuji licked his lips, admiring the view of a very flushed Buchou leaning against the couch trying to catch his breath. "Let's continue, shall we?" He immediately proceeded to slip Tezuka's pants and boxers down to a single ankle. And then he spread those legs and ran his hands up and down the inner thighs.

"F-Fuji, we can't," Tezuka breathed, half losing his sense of logic as those warm palms rubbed dangerously around his groin. "OUCH!"

Fuji blinked in surprise. "Eh? Does it hurt?" He saw Tezuka shaking and hiding his face within his arm. Fuji glanced down and pulled out his finger. "I guess it's been a while since you've been loosened up." The tensai glanced around the room, searching for something he could use before finding a bottle of lotion sitting on top of a drawer cabinet.

"Fuji, no, that belongs to my secretary," Tezuka immediately pointed out as he watched Fuji get up and grab the bottle.

"Hm, Vanilla Bean scented," the tensai read the front label. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind." He began dumping some into the palm of his hand.

"Fuji! That is wrong!" Tezuka protested adamantly. "Fuji, are you listening to me?"

The shorter man walked over and got back down onto the ground, spreading Tezuka's legs further. "Relax, Tezuka. This will do." He stuck a finger in slowly, feeling the other person jerk as he began sliding in and out and twirling inside, slathering the lotion on.

Tezuka watched this wearily, breathing heavily as he thought in embarrassment how utterly inappropriate it was for them to not only be using the student council room for their private session, but also borrow the lotion from his own secretary. It was horrendously wrong. But Tezuka's thoughts became cluttered as Fuji stuck in a third finger, and he found himself gasping as those fingers slid in and out, moistening his entrance with the cool lotion that made him more sensitive. "Fuji…enough," he breathed.

"Does that mean you're ready?" Fuji smiled coyly.

"I didn't want this to begin with!"

Fuji immediately undid his pants and pulled out his arousal, sighing in relief from the tightness. He then lifted up the other's legs, surprising the taller man. "Tezuka," he breathed in eager anticipation. "Do you know how badly I want you?" He thrust in with one swift motion, deriving a sharp cry from his Buchou. "Tezuka! Gomen, I forgot you're not used to it right now. Are you okay?"

Tezuka shook, hiding his face as his legs quivered in Fuji's hands. "I'm…fine," he managed to say.

Fuji frowned. "Then, I can't wait any longer." He thrust in again, albeit more carefully this time. He pushed Tezuka's legs further up against those broad shoulders as he gasped at the wonderful feel of that warm entrance contracting over his length.

Tezuka leaned further back against the couch as he moaned and cried out at Fuji slamming against his prostrate, with each strike sending shivers throughout his body. It felt so good, even though he wouldn't admit it. It felt really good. "Ah…Nn…uugh!" Tezuka's words fell into dribbles as Fuji rode him hard, grasping his hair with one hand and pulling him forward into a hard wet kiss. His senses were going haywire as Fuji then trailed the same hand down his chest to grasp the erection aching to be touched down below. Deep down, Tezuka knew that what Fuji said was true – it had been a while, and he felt guilty that he hasn't been able to spend time with the tensai as much lately, but that was due to circumstances out of his control. Perhaps that's why subconsciously, he's letting this one incident serve as the exception to their agreement on no sex in odd places.

It's not like it was the first time he's made an exception…Subconsciously, that is.

Fuji thrust again, and again, and again, his panting filled with longing desire and thirst never quenched. Those lips now trailed the corners of the taller man's neck, and Tezuka protested against having anymore hickeys as he moaned and thrust his chest forward at the kisses filled with hunger.

But then that hot breath went up to his ear, and whispered seductively, "Kunimitsu."

"Ahh!" Tezuka flung his head back, seeing a white light as he reached his second orgasm, body spasming and spewing out cum into Fuji's hand that clenched over the head of his manhood. He grunted as he felt Fuji's length inside him suddenly jerk and release inside of him, tainting his entrance with warm cum after cum.

The two then collapsed, with Tezuka's back still against the couch and Fuji lying against the taller man. The sound of hot panting filled the room as both felt their bodies calm down in relief, skin slightly sticky and hearts still beating rapidly.

"That…felt so good," Fuji murmured, out of breath as he lifted up his chin from Tezuka's shoulder and licked that earlobe, surprising the other man. He giggled, admiring his work as Tezuka continued to breathe heavily, face completely flushed and glowing red. "Ne, you came so fast," he smiled. "I guess you really wanted it."

Tezuka felt a nerve snap.

* * *

The afternoon was hot, and the sun was blaring its rays unusually that day during practice, much to the annoyance of the tennis team out on the courts. Fuji huffed as he sweated bullets, jogging along.

"Oi, Fuji-senpai, why are you running laps today?" Echizen asked, also sweating profusely as he jogged alongside his teammate.

"Don't ask," Fuji responded curtly, annoyed as the two tried to catch up to Inui, who was running up ahead.

Echizen smirked, finding it rare to see the tensai drop his mask and visibly look irritated. "What did you do to piss off Buchou?"

"None of your business," Fuji persisted, panting for breath. _Stupid Tezuka._

_

* * *

_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**It may take me longer this time to update this story. In the past, I had tried to keep it at one update per week, but this time it may take longer to update sometimes (just wanted to give everyone a heads up). **_

_**As for the question regarding another Zelda fic, I do plan on doing that one, possibly simultaneously with this one, so we'll see. I need to see how much free time I have.  
**_

_**Again, thanks for your support!  
**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Update: I made a correction in this chapter. I meant to write Niou, not Yagyuu.**

**Thanks for catching that Koshizuka!  
**

* * *

Chapter 3

Tezuka rushed through the halls passing various busy students bustling around in classrooms with activity planning, booth building, prop making, recipe brewing, and costume designing. The week has finally arrived where students will spend almost two weeks making the preparations for the festival, with chosen club members from the nearby participating schools coming by the already crowded Seigaku to help out and either work on their own plans or assist the clubs they were collaborating with.

What this meant for Seigaku's famous student council president was another two weeks of hell.

Tezuka barged into a classroom where a few individuals were sewing their costumes and outfits for their booths.

"Tezuka Kaichou?" The student council vice-president blinked in surprise, standing still in the middle of the room as a girl was measuring the length of his arm.

"Gomen, I need to know where those copies are," Tezuka panted for breath.

"You mean a copy of the master list of activities?"

"I gave my copy to the secretary because she forgot hers."

The vice-president chuckled. "Of all times, she had to be a klutz now. Did you scold her for it?"

Tezuka paused for a moment. "No." He saw the vice-president blink in surprise. The truth was, Tezuka normally would've lectured the girl for her carelessness, but upon seeing her search for her missing lotion bottle in the student council room, the Kaichou immediately gave her his copy of the master list before quickly leaving the room in silent embarrassment.

"Well, as you can see, I can't quite move at the moment, but my copy is on the table over there," he motioned with his head.

"Aa. Thank you." Tezuka quickly grabbed it and headed out the door. He flipped through the pages, finding where he left off. For the first time in a long while, Tezuka was doubting his ability to survive the next two weeks. As he checked off the clubs he had visited, making sure they were on task, and visited the rest of the clubs on the list, he felt the strain of constant noise, crowdedness, and lack of time. On top of that, there was still tennis practice and homework at the end of the day, which the teachers assigned since there would be no classes for this week and next. Sighing, he stopped for a moment to check on the time. It was almost lunch, and it looked like he was going to miss meeting with Fuji again. Dropping by the tensai's classroom to let him know, he found Kikumaru instead.

"Kikumaru, do you know where Fuji is?"

"Eh?" The readhead blinked. "Hm, you just missed him. He went to Momo's classroom," he frowned as he continued to pound with a hammer on a wooden plank to help his class build whatever it was going to be.

Tezuka sighed and rushed down the hall to the second year's classroom, but neither Fuji nor Momoshiro were there as well. Frustrated, he decided to just apologize to Fuji later as he continued his rounds of checking on the student clubs.

* * *

Fuji sighed, playing with his box of food as he sat underneath the tree, ignoring the students around him running around with too much to do.

_Oh, Tezuka Kaichou? You just missed him…_

"Ugh!" Fuji let out, throwing himself over his lunch. He had gone from classroom to classroom, looking for Tezuka, but only to receive the same response. And upon entering one certain room where a few of the first years resided, he was pulled in by Tomoka and Sakuno (Echizen's two female peers), and experimented on with a dress and makeup. As the pleasant friendly person he is, he allowed the girls to do what they wanted. He had to admit that he looked quite good after they finished, but upon realizing that too much time had passed, he quickly washed off the makeup in the restroom and changed back into his school uniform before heading out in search of Tezuka again.

And now he was eating lunch alone. Not even his favorite redhead was able to join him. "Maybe I'm not being as productive as I should," he mumbled to himself, leaning on his elbow and poking at the rice with his chopsticks. It was only Monday and already Fuji wondered if he'd be able to see Tezuka at all outside of tennis practice. He knew that starting today, his Buchou's responsibilities and stress level would triple. Even over the weekend, Tezuka had no time for him, having to spend it at home preparing lists of tasks for his student council members.

Giving up on his lunch, Fuji tossed it to the side and lay down on the grass, staring up at green leaves that let bits of sunlight seep through the shade. It was such a nice day to be out, but he was not enjoying it as much. At the same time, he felt guilty for complaining. Tezuka had responsibilities, very important ones, and he wasn't the only one either. Fuji recalled seeing the Yamabuki student council president looking like he was going to collapse earlier today. Grinning, he wondered how Atobe was handling all this, although knowing the pompous man, he was most likely handling it just as well as Tezuka, which is pretty good.

Speaking of Atobe, Fuji remembered the school play that everyone was talking about just less than a week before. Tezuka had told the tennis team that they were all to meet in the auditorium at 2PM sharp. At this notion, Fuji suddenly felt his mood lifted. He would definitely get to see Tezuka then.

* * *

As the day went on, Echizen yawned on the roof of the building. The air was warm, and he was enjoying the heat on his skin as he took a short nap away from all the craziness going on below. Honestly, he didn't care about the interschool festival. He just couldn't wait for tennis practice to start.

"Echizen!"

He also made a mental note to never let his senpai come up to the roof with him whenever he wanted to nap. "What is it, Momo-senpai?"

"Look! I recognize some of the other regulars down below!" The second year pointed out into the distance at the gated edge in excitement. "Echizen!"

The freshman furrowed his eyebrows as he reluctantly got up from the ground and walked towards the end of the roof to join his friend. Glancing down, he recognized a few of the tennis players from the other schools. "Oh, they must be here for the meeting at two," he remarked indifferently.

"Two?" Momoshiro blinked, checking his watch. "But that's within the next ten minutes!"

Echizen yawned again. "Really? I didn't notice-Oi!" he felt his collar tugged on as the second year immediately proceeded to drag him towards the door. "Momo-senpai, it's just a meeting!"

"Buchou is going to be there, and I don't want him to give us laps!" The second year stated firmly as he dragged the lazy freshman with him, exiting the rooftop and going down the steps. Upon reaching the ground floor, he released his hold on his kohai.

Echizen adjusted the collar, glaring at his senpai in annoyance. "Momo-senpai, do we really have to go? I don't care about _Romeo and Juliet._"

"Oi, but Echizen! It's one of the most famous plays ever! Not to mention it's popular with the ladies, and…" he leaned in on the freshman, "You know what that means." He winked.

The green-eyed boy blinked a couple times. "No, I don't."

Momoshiro sighed. "You're hopeless, Echizen."

"Hai hai," the freshman waved him off as he began walking down the hallway.

The senpai immediately caught up to him. "Echizen, we haven't had a bet in a long time."

"Oh?"

"What do you think? Let's up the stakes this time."

"But you always lose-ITAI!" Echizen cried out in pain as he rubbed the top of his head.

"No, I don't," Momoshiro shook his fist. "Now, do you want to bet or not?"

"What should we bet on?" The freshman asked, irritated at the pain still in his skull.

"Hm, how about how many times Atobe says 'be awed at the sight of my prowess'?" He immediately struck an Atobe pose as imaginary glitter illuminated him ridiculously.

"Too boring."

"Oi, c'mon, Echizen!"

"It's just-" Echizen stopped mid-sentence as he paused in his steps, staring ahead just as silvery white hair disappeared around the corner.

"Hm? Who was that?" Momoshiro blinked, noticing it just a second ago as well. "Looks familiar."

The freshman shrugged it off, continuing to walk. His senpai immediately followed suit.

"What about how many of Inui senpai's drinks you can handle at once?"

"I thought Inui-senpai was banned from doing that at the booth on the day of the festival."

"Oh, well, true. But…" Momoshiro glanced away. "Even though Buchou said that, Inui-senpai found a technicality in that rule."

Echizen sighed. Sometimes he wonders why his teammates can seem so idiotic at times, as much as he likes them. Or maybe they're just idiotically smart and dumb at the same time. Does that make it an oxymoron?

* * *

Afternoon finally came, and Tezuka sighed as he headed towards the auditorium. Today was utterly ridiculous. Not even twenty-four hours had gone by when he already encountered various problems and issues that had to be addressed. But with his quick and efficient way of dealing with things, he was able to resolve most of them. Still, he was feeling the weight of everything as the hours went by. A good sleep sounds really good right now. No, actually, a good tennis match. If anything, tennis was always a great stress reliever for Tezuka, and he was looking forward to practice later today.

Stopping in his footsteps, Tezuka noticed a young man sleeping on the bench just outside the auditorium. Those wavy, curly brownish-red locks outlined the peaceful frame, but the uniform was what caught Tezuka's attention.

Suddenly, the figure stirred and began stretching, yawning and rubbing his face before slowly sitting up. Blinking from his slumber, the young man opened his eyes to focus on the tall, large figure standing before him. Glancing up, he saw a very stern, serious face with glasses that glinted underneath the sun. "Hm?" he blinked. "You're Tezuka, right?"

"Aa," Tezuka responded. "I apologize, I don't seem to remember your name, but you're from Hyotei, correct?"

"Hm," the student nodded. "I'm Jirou Akutagawa." He smiled brightly. "You played a good game against our Atobe."

Tezuka blinked, remembering now who this young man was. This person had played against Fuji before in a match. And upon remembering Fuji, Tezuka felt a tug at not being able to meet up with the tensai yet. "The meeting is about to begin. Are you coming in?"

"Oh! It's already two?" The young man hopped onto his feet, now in lively spirits as he stretched some more. "I lost track of time. Let's go!" He pointed, marching onward exaggeratedly towards the building.

Tezuka sighed and followed behind.

* * *

"Ne, Fujiko, you seem happier compared to this morning," Kikumaru noted at the beaming tensai next to him as the two sat at the edge of the stage in the auditorium, waiting with the rest of their team. The room looked even larger with the empty seats before them, and the ceilings tall and massive as the curtains were pulled back to the side of the stage, barely visible.

Fuji dangled his legs, keeping his eyes on the door. "I'm looking forward to today's meeting."

Fudomine had arrived earlier while the rest of the schools had yet to show up. Yamabuki and St. Rudolph were the only ones not joining the meeting, having been assigned to work on another major activity in the interschool festival. Fuji wondered about this interesting setup. It looks like a certain someone deliberately selected the schools they wanted to participate in the play.

Kikumaru raised an eyebrow. "Hm, what is that supposed to mean?" He looked closely at his friend. "Fuji, what are you hiding?"

The tensai chuckled. "Eiji, you're over-thinking it. I just said I'm looking forward to today's meeting."

"But Fujiko only says that when he's plotting something. Nya!" The redhead joked, nudging his friend playfully. "I bet you were hoping that St. Rudolph would be here so you can see your brother. And Mizuki."

"Ah, Mizuki…" Fuji's bright blue eyes flared open with a strange frightening aura. "Yes, I still would like to pay him back further for last time."

"Eee!" Kikumaru jumped, seeing invisible blue flames hover eerily around his best friend.

"E-Eiji, what did you say to Fuji?" Kawamura, who was leaning against the stage on the ground floor, chuckled, feeling unsettled.

"Nothing! Nya!"And then, the acrobatic boy noticed a distinct set of individuals in white collared shirts and striped blue ties walking through the entrance of the auditorium and down the aisle. "Ne, isn't that Rikkaidai?"

"Oh?" Fuji smiled. "They're here."

Immediately, the room fell silent at the strong presence of the two-time national winning tennis team. Steady, heavy steps echoed across the auditorium, with each individual walking confidently towards them before stopping a couple feet away from the stage. Tension seemed to build as Rikkadai's regulars observed the Seigaku regulars closely. But two particular individuals stood out from the rest of the already outstanding team of talented players.

"Ah, it's good to see you all," Yukimura, a pleasant looking young man with wavy blue hair smiled friendly to everyone. "Thank you for welcoming us to your school. Is your captain here yet?"

Oishi immediately walked up to greet who was currently considered the best tennis player in the middle school world. "Yukimura Buchou, Tezuka will be here shortly. And I hear that Hyotei is on their way as well." The vice-captain glanced at his equivalent next to Yukimura. There stood in contrast a tall, strongly-built, serious looking individual with unfriendly features and dark watchful observing eyes. "Sanada Fukoubuchou," he nodded.

Sanada only glanced back silently, making Seigaku's own vice-captain uncomfortable.

"We'll be sitting down now," Yukimura said politely as he led his team to a row of seats at the front near the corner, Rikkaidai's regulars immediately taking over that section opposite Fudomine. Some even sprawled their arms and legs over the arm rests to take up two seats, marking their territory.

"Ii data," Inui jotted down in his notebook as everyone else resumed conversing amongst themselves.

"Ne, Inui wastes no time in gathering data," Kikumaru commented as he watched his teammate grin widely at his notebook.

"That's because our rival schools are here for this meeting," Fuji remarked. "It would be a great opportunity to learn more about our opponents." He watched as Momoshiro and Oishi conversed in the corner with Kippei Tachibana, the famous tennis captain responsible for changing the reputation of his team and bringing them towards the top. "Ne, Eiji, what's going on with you and Oishi?"

"Hm?" Kikumaru blinked, surprised.

Now it was Fuji's turn to look at him closely, his bright blue orbs focusing solely on those large catlike innocent ones. "You know what I mean."

The redhead held up his hands awkwardly. "Fujiko, what do you mean?"

"Stop playing around. Buchou's here," Kaidoh growled from below the stage next to Kawamura, annoyed by their bantering.

Everyone glanced up just in time to see Tezuka walk in along with a familiar Hyotei student.

"Eh? Isn't that Jirou?" Fuji blinked in surprise along with his teammates.

"Why is he with Buchou?" Kikumaru remarked.

Again, the room fell still as the bespectacled student council president headed down the aisle. Despite the composition of the groups currently residing in the room, the tall, serious model student always struck a strong impression on those around him wherever he goes. In the corner where Rikkaidai sat, one individual in particular turned with great attention to Seigaku's Buchou.

"There's Tezuka," Yukimaru noted curiously with a small smile. And then, he felt a pair of strong eyes watching intensely from behind. He glanced over his shoulder. "Sanada."

"Ah," Sanada noted, tightening his fists beside him. "Tezuka," he clenched his teeth.

Yukimaru frowned. "Sanada…"

Meanwhile, the regulars from Fudomine nodded in greeting as Tezuka passed by them and greeted them in return. He also greeted Rikkadai, with Yukimura returning a friendly nod. And then, Tezuka stopped at the front of the stage to face his own teammates. Glancing around momentarily, he paused as he checked for everyone. "Echizen, stop taking a nap or 20 laps!"

Everyone shook in surprise as Tezuka's deep, commanding voice echoed across the large auditorium behind him before a head poked up from the empty seats in the middle of the room.

"Hai hai," the young freshman called out faintly as he slowly dragged himself from the aisle and headed towards the stage to join everyone, yawning along the way.

Kikumaru chuckled with Fuji. "He got lucky. Too lucky."

Teuzka eyed his teammates sternly. "Everyone in Seigaku is here."

"Everyone plus Hyotei," Momoshiro blurted from the side, pointing with a chuckle.

Tezuka blinked and glanced to his right, realizing that Jirou was still standing next to him this whole time, admiring the stage in a carefree oblivious manner.

The young man, feeling the Seigaku captain's stern eyes now on him, let out a sheepish grin as he ruffled the back of his hair. "Gomen, I'll go stand over there and wait for my team." He gave a nervous chuckle and proceeded to walk away.

"You don't have to wait too long, Jirou."

That familiar, bold, self-proclaiming voice boomed across the auditorium through an invisible microphone as everyone immediately returned their attention to the door. Standing ahead of the group that had just arrived, the Hyotei captain flicked his hair, announcing his presence with shimmering glory and outstanding radiance that seemed to blind the occupants in the room, if that was possible.

"Hyotei has arrived. Be awed at the sight of our prowess," he flashed.

The rest of the regulars all stared, rather stunned yet not completely surprised by this captain's constant flashy entrances. Seigaku's Buchou, however, let out a clearly audible sigh.

Atobe glanced around the room with a smile before leading his team down the aisle. The rival school threw a daring grin at Rikkaidai before stopping two feet away from their host school's student council president. "Tezuka, I see that you have arrived before I have."

"Aa," Tezuka said shortly.

Atobe raised an eyebrow. "Still not much of a talker, huh? Tezuka."

In the front section of the seats a couple feet away, Sanada observed this interaction before turning his head with a "Hmph." If there was one thing that annoyed him the most in the tennis world, it would be this Atobe Keigo.

"Ah, so the Hyotei captain finally makes his entrance…in style," Yukimura smiled amusingly. "Sanada, you seem rather eager to enter a tennis match with him already."

"Atobe is not of my concern," the vice-captain spoke curtly before narrowing his eyes. "Tezuka…I will beat him one day."

"So, are we going to begin this meeting?" Atobe threw out his arms, motioning around the room in a rather loud manner.

"Not everyone's here," Tezuka explained.

"Oh?"

Jirou quickly ran to his captain's side, joining the rest of his team as he began thinking out loud. "Hmmm…Rikkaidai's here. Obviously Seigaku's here. Fudomine…It looks like the only school we're missing is-"

"ROKKAKU'S HERE!"

The sudden announcement immediately startled everyone as all eyes landed on a freshman standing proudly at the entrance, clearly out of breath along with the rest of his teammates. He took a step forward. "Gomen!" he held up a hand apologetically. "We got lostttttt-AHHH!" Immediately, Aoi Kentaro, Rokkaku's clumsy first year tennis captain, tripped on his own feet and began tumbling down the aisle, much to everyone's horror.

The Hyotei team disbursed out of the way, leaving their beloved captain to turn around just in time to meet the young boy rolling towards him at full speed. There was a loud crash, and everyone cringed before finding two individuals flat on the ground.

"Aoi!" The rest of the Rokkaku regulars exclaimed at the entrance before rushing down to their hapless captain.

Atobe pushed his hand against the freshman's cheek, trying to remove the foul individual on top of him. "Kabaji! Get him off of me!"

"Usu," Kabaji replied, swiftly lifting Aoi up by the collar and placing him on the side.

"Aoi, are you all right?" The Rokkaku regulars asked their captain earnestly as Atobe got up onto his feet, brushing himself off and glaring at his own team who were now purposely avoiding eye contact with him.

"That was an awesome fall," Momoshiro whispered to Echizen, the too erupting in laughter before stopping at the look Atobe threw at them.

"It's good to see you all here!" Kikumaru immediately hopped off the stage along with Fuji as Oishi also walked up towards them.

"We've been excited about this ever since we heard we would be helping you guys out on the play!" Aoi blabbered loudly and quickly before glancing up and waving at another first year on the stage. "Echizen! Let's play again!"

"Why is he so loud?" Echizen mumbled.

Oishi greeted the team. "We are glad to have you and your team here, Aoi. I see that everyone has arrived." He began nodding to each individual member. "Davide, Bane, Itsuki, Kisarazu, and S-SAEKI?"

Oishi's tactless greeting immediately brought the attention of the shocked Seigaku regulars as everyone's eyes landed on the silvery white-haired boy smirking and blinking in surprise.

"W-What is HE doing here?" Momoshiro pointed bluntly, hopping off the stage to join his team.

"Momo, that's rude," Oishi scolded.

"Oh, like you did any better."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Aoi blinked, confused as he looked at Saeki. "Is there something wrong?"

"Guys, guys, calm down," Fuji immediately tried to appease his team awkwardly, stepping between them.

"It's so good to see you again."

Fuji turned around at his childhood friend's greeting.

Saeki threw a purposeful smile. "Shuusuke."

"We welcome you all to our school." The Seigaku regulars held their breath at the serious voice of their stern Buchou as Tezuka stepped in right behind Fuji, hovering over the tensai with hawk-like eyes. Deep brown orbs narrowed and subtly watched the silvery white-haired regular carefully before addressing the first year. "Aoi Buchou, please excuse my team. They are just too overly excited."

"Oh, well, I don't mind," Rokkaku's captain replied, rubbing his head in slight confusion.

"You better not try anything! Nya!" Kikumaru threatened, warning Saeki.

"Eiji!" Oishi scolded.

"Oi! Enough with the hostility!" Saeki stood his ground, annoyed now. "It's in the past. I'm not going to do anything."

"That's right, you guys don't have to worry," Bane, the tallest member on the Rokkaku team, interjected. "Because Saeki…" he threw his arm swiftly around his teammate's neck and pointed at himself, "is now with me."

"EH?" The majority of the team cried out in shock.

"Stop joking around, Bane!" Saeki's face turned red as he immediately pushed his friend away and saw Seigaku's Buchou continue to watch him closely with extremely intense, stern, serious brown eyes. And then he noticed Tezuka place a hand on Fuji's shoulder. "Oi! I already said it's in the past and that I won't do anything! Get over yourselves!" He yelled at everyone in general.

"Are we missing something here?" Itsuki turned to Davide, wondering why two of his teammates were suddenly acting oddly.

"Ahem," Atobe coughed, stepping in. "I do believe that we have a meeting to-"

"But Saeki," Bane pleaded, accidentally brushing the Hyotei captain to the side. "We are together!"

"No, we're not!" Saeki protested, pushing his friend's reached out arms away.

"AHEM!" Atobe persisted, making himself clearer. "I said we-"

"We're watching you closely this time, so don't try anything, Saeki!" Momoshiro warned with a finger, stepping in front of the Hyotei captain.

"That's right. PSHHHHHHH!" Kaidoh hissed with grinding fists, brushing by the Hyotei captain as well with Inui following close behind.

"Why don't you guys get it? I said I'm NOT going to do anything!" Saeki exclaimed, now exasperated.

The bickering continued, and the rest of the schools' tennis teams watched from a distance, clearly lost. Rikkadai was no exception.

"What…is going on?" Sanada dropped his jaw, rather confused.

"Rokkaku and Seigaku…..are rather strange," Yukimura noted.

The rest of the Rikkaidai team stared in speechlessness.

"OI!" Atobe forcefully pushed some of the Rokkaku members away, making a path for himself to stand right in front of Tezuka and Fuji in the middle of the group. "Tezuka, enough with this circus! Are we starting this meeting or not?" He demanded, completely flustered and never liking the idea of being ignored.

"Aa. Apologies for the delay," Tezuka spoke before heading towards the stage and facing the rest of the room, crossing his arms. "We will now begin discussing the play."

The bickering immediately subsided as all attention paid respect to Tezuka.

"As you know, each club has their own activities to prepare for. The student council presidents at each school had decided on letting the tennis clubs handle the interschool play, _Romeo and Juliet. _We will begin by selecting the cast before assigning backstage roles to those who will not be acting in the play, is that understood?"

"Hai," everyone responded.

"And because it was my idea, I and Tezuka will both be in charge of the whole play," Atobe added, standing right next to Seigaku's captain beneath the front of the stage.

"I'm telling you, he has a thing for Buchou," Momoshiro snorted to Echizen, who couldn't help but stifle a laugh as well.

"Shh, you guys!" Kawamura shushed them, nervous that they would be heard and be assigned laps.

"The girl's tennis club at Seigaku will be helping us," Tezuka continued. "I understand that the ones at your schools are preoccupied with other activities." He glanced up to the side. "Speaking of which, here is Seigaku's now."

The young ladies entered from the side of the auditorium, with the tennis captain, a tall woman with a brown ponytail and strong features, greeting Tezuka before reaching the front of the stage.

"Your team knows what to do?" Tezuka asked the third year.

"Hm," the captain nodded. "I already discussed it with them. And I'm placing Sakuno and Tomoka, our event planning gurus, in charge of our team's responsibilities." On cue, the two first years, one in pigtails and the other in braids, stepped forward.

"Yea! Let's get this started!" Tomoka proclaimed excitedly while Sakuno shied behind her friend, not used to the attention.

"Very well," Tezuka stated. "First-"

"We need to select the actors for the main roles," Atobe interrupted.

"Well, how will we do that?" Kikumaru asked. "Do we have time for auditions?"

"Ahem," Tachibana coughed, directing attention to himself. "I do have some….acting experience, and-"

"I can pretend to be anyone," Niou, the trickster from Rikkaidai, stood up proudly.

"Hm, but Niou, you only imitate. That doesn't mean you'll be good at acting," Marui, his teammate, popped the gum in his mouth.

"Shut-up, Marui!"

"I do believe that I can be a good Romeo," Saeki stepped forward with a charming smile.

"FAT CHANCE!" Nearly all of the Seigaku regulars protested at once.

"Oi, are we seriously still on this?" Saeki yelled back.

"Ahem," Atobe coughed out loud.

Everyone turned their heads to the Hyotei captain still standing at the front of the stage.

"I have to say, Atobe has had experience with Shakespearean theater during his time in England," Oshitari, the genius of Hyotei Academy, pushed up his glasses as he casually leaned against a chair.

"Not to mention he's had the best education and training from the finest in the world," Jirou yawned, stretching his arms.

"And he's read up on a lot of Shakespeare's plays ever since he was a kid," Ohtori, the famous doubles player, noted as he glanced up in deep thought.

"A man with the most exquisite taste for classics," Hiyoshi added, sticking his hands into his pockets.

"I think it seems obvious who should play Romeo," Shishido, the other half of the famous doubles team, added with crossed arms and sharp eyebrows.

Atobe flicked his fingers in the air, snapping them as he revealed his stunning aura. "Be awed at the sight of my prowess, for I will be playing Romeo."

The room fell silent.

Awkwardly silent.

"You…got to be kidding me," Momoshiro dropped his mouth along with everyone else, staring in disbelief.

"Monkey King…as Romeo?" Echizen raised an eye suspiciously.

"What do say you, Tezuka?" Atobe addressed the Seigaku captain, who seemed rather uninterested in the whole matter.

Tezuka looked at him before closing his eyes. "I have no objections."

"What? For reals? Buchou!" Momoshiro asked in shock.

"As long as he is fully capable of acting out the part," Tezuka answered.

Kikumaru whispered secretly to Fuji, "I think Buchou just doesn't want to deal with Atobe's annoying pompousness."

"Momo-senpai," Echizen walked up to stand next to his friend. "I agree that Atobe is best to play Romeo. After all," he smirked. "He is the Monkey King."

Atobe glared at this cursed name calling.

"Well, if that's the case," Tomoka stepped up, surprising everyone. "Then I think it's only fair that Seigaku, the school that is _hosting_ the interschool festival this year, be allowed to pick the person to play Juliet."

Everyone mumbled in agreement amongst themselves.

"Suit yourself," Atobe smirked, throwing out his hand in a welcoming gesture. After all, either way, Seigaku would have to pick a fully capable and beautiful young lady to play such an important lead role. She would be representing the school, and no doubt the person they pick would be someone who is attractive and worthy of earning the audience's admiration, but not as much as himself, since no one can outshine the famous Atobe Keigo!

"Then it's settled," Tomoka nodded. "Tezuka Buchou, are you all right with us deciding the lead role for Juliet? My team and I have already discussed this."

"Aa," Tezuka nodded.

Tomoka smiled. "The person we choose to play Juliet is…" she pointed her finger. "Fuji-senpai."

"What? IMPOSSIBLE!" Both Atobe and Tezuka blurted out in shock simultaneously.

"Huh? Me?" Fuji blinked, surprised as everyone turned to look at him.

"Oi, is this a joke?" Sanada stood up from his seat, now irritated with this whole fiasco. "I thought it's enough that Atobe would be playing Romeo, but now you want a guy to play Juliet?"

"And what's wrong with that?" Tomoka challenged boldly, yelling across to where the Rikkadai team were sitting. "We didn't pick this randomly. We dressed Fuji-senpai in a dress earlier as a temporary model for our costumes, and he turned out to make a pretty cute girl. Not to mention Fuji-senpai is a genius and a great actor. Who knows what he hides behind that smile," She nodded in agreement with her own words. "And he's _popular._"

"I, I object!" Atobe stepped forward before the first year on stage. "This is not right. A girl should be playing Juliet, do you hear me? A girl!"

"I also won't allow for this," Tezuka stated firmly, joining Atobe. "Fuji is not playing the role of Juliet."

"But, but-" Tomoka began stammering at the overwhelming presence of the two captains on the ground floor before the stage. "But you said it was our choice!"

"Yes, but I thought it's clearly implied that you would pick a _girl_," Tezuka argued.

"I am NOT acting with another man!" Atobe complained. "Do you know about the scenes in _Romeo and Juliet_? The love scenes? How do you expect us to act that out between two men?"

Oishi quickly stepped in to reason with the first year. "Tomoka-chan, do you realize what you're asking? I mean, Fuji is a _boy._"

Tomoka crossed her arms determinedly. "Then how about we ask Fuji-senpai."

Everyone turned back to Fuji. "Um…" Fuji chuckled uneasily. "What do you want me to say?"

"NO!" Tezuka and Atobe stated clearly at the same time. And then, Tezuka added with a sigh, "Tomoka, there are plenty of girls who are capable of acting well. Why do you choose Fuji?"

"But Tezuka Buchou, have you _seen_ Fuji-senpai in a dress?"

Tezuka blinked, for a split second curious before maintaining his stern seriousness. "That is irrelevant."

"Hm, Fujiko in a dress?" Kikumaru remarked as he, Kawamura, and Momshiro all began imagining it, their cheeks starting to blush. "That seems so…"

"Stop thinking!" Tezuka yelled at them, exasperated as his teammates jumped back in surprise.

"Fine, then we will prove to you all!" Tomoka hopped off the stage, landed on the ground, and immediately grabbed a hold of Fuji's wrist to pull him with her towards the back of the stage through the side staircase. "Come. We'll show them, Fuji-senpai! Hurry, Sakuno-chan!"

"H-hai, Tomo-chan!" The other freshman girl stuttered, quickly following her friend along with the rest of the female tennis team who all giggled at this prospect.

Tezuka looked at the girl's tennis team captain for help, but the third year only shrugged back with a smile. "What can I say? They're pretty strong-minded, and honestly, I don't think it's a bad idea either."

Tezuka sighed, face-palming himself.

"I'm, I'm not doing this!" Atobe protested. "Tezuka, do something about this, it's your responsibility as student council president at this school. We can't have two _men_ act out a romance story. Do you know just how wrong that is?" And then Atobe stopped, noticing that he seemed to have unexpectedly struck a wrong chord as Tezuka glared at him with more intensity than usual. Even the famous Hyotei captain watched himself for a second, not wanting to go on further with whatever he could have said to have earned this reaction from Seigaku's Buchou.

"Hm, Fuji as Juliet is not a bad idea," Saeki rubbed his chin, snickering at the thought. And then he noticed the Seigaku regulars watching him warningly. "For the last time, I said I won't do anything!"

"That's right, because he's with me," Bane stated, arms crossed.

"Stop saying that!"

"Hm, Monkey King and Fuji-senpai?" Echizen wondered, glancing up at his Buchou. "Ne, are you really concerned about two guys having romance scenes, or do you just not like the idea of Fuji-senpai being together with Monkey King?" He smirked.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes at the first year.

"Ugh, I feel like I have a headache," Sanada shook his head, his eyebrows twitching at the scene before him as he fell back into his seat. Just what is wrong with everyone here?

"Hm, but Sanada, don't you think this would be rather interesting?" Yukimura pointed out. "I do believe Fuji would make a good Juliet. After all," he grinned a rather stealthy grin, "I would like to see how Hyotei's Atobe handles kissing another boy."

The Rikkadai regulars all laughed mockingly except for Sanada, who only crossed his arms.

Niou, the trickster, turned in his seat towards Marui. With a flick of his features, he turned into Atobe. "Oh Juliet, should thou grant my request for a kiss? Should thou be awed at the sight of my prowess?"

Marui popped a gum before chewing it again and acting all shy and bashful. "Romeo, but of course, let thy kiss you, for thou is gay."

The two Rikkaidai players broke into louder fits of laughter, doubling over in their seats and ignoring the irritated glare thrown their way by Atobe from the front of the stage.

Meanwhile, Tezuka groaned and closed his eyes, massaging his temples in slow circular motions. How could this just be the first day of the week?

At the same time, Atobe continued to fume, throwing fits here and there at his own team, who decided to watch themselves around their rather offended captain. "Kabaji, get me water!"

"Usu."

Oishi sighed helplessly near the stage. How did things turn out this way?

The next couple of minutes went by as Tezuka and Atobe decided to pass the time by discussing logistics and other backstage responsibilities with the regulars. Finally, Tomoka stepped out onto the stage, a proud smile on her face while Sakuno shyly followed beside her.

"Gentleman, I present to you our masterpiece!" She held out her hands dramatically towards the corner, motioning her clumsy friend to do the same as though it was a performance. "TA DA!"

Everyone turned their heads to where she was gesturing towards.

At first, nothing happened. And then, the sound of heels clicked against the stage floor, echoing throughout the walls of the auditorium with increasing volume in a steady manner. Within seconds, out stepped an individual in a sleek light blue medieval dress, with thin limbs flowing gracefully beside as soft, silky hazelnut locks half pinned up with two ribbons brushed against the frame of the perfect silhouette. Bright blue eyes opened, those clear orbs further enhanced by the color of the dress and mesmerizing the participants in the room with a glimmer that immediately stopped everyone in their tracks and froze time.

It would be an understatement to say that only half of the regulars in the room received a nosebleed at the scene before them.

"So, what do you guys think?" Tomoka continued to hold out her hands as Sakuno mirrored her awkwardly. "Fuji-senpai is beautiful, isn't he?"

The Seigaku regulars all stared with their mouths open, struck utterly speechless by the spectacle.

Fuji flicked his hair gracefully, letting the strands barely fall back in place above his shoulders as his eyes wondered to one particular individual who looked rather dumbfounded. With a grin, he hopped off the stage in an unwomanly manner for someone with heels, and frolicked his way towards the tall, serious man still gaping at him with eyes of one who was seeing him for the very first time. Fuji leaned in and glanced up playfully. "Ne, Tezuka, what do you think? How do I look?" He batted his eyelashes once.

Tezuka stiffened and clasped a hand over his mouth, looking to the side as he tried to suppress a nosebleed. "You…You look…"

"Beautiful?"

"Passable for a girl."

The tensai nearly fell backwards at this rather dry comment. How disappointing. He even let the girls put makeup on him and this was the best response he could get from the all serious Buchou?

"Then, it's settled?" Tomoka placed her hands on her hips, declaring to the crowd. "Fuji-senpai will play the role of Juliet?"

The regulars from the different schools glanced at one another.

"I'm cool with it," Davide from Rokkaku shrugged, glancing at his teammates.

Bane turned to his side and tensed. "Saeki, stop drooling!"

"I'm not drooling!"

"Hm…" Yukimaru placed a hand underneath his chin as he leaned back in his seat and observed the tensai. "He does make a very beautiful woman."

"I'm…surprised myself," Sanada grimaced, eye twitching as Fuji continued to flash a flirtatious grin.

Around the stage, Momoshiro said quietly to Kikumaru, "Who knew that Fuji-senpai would look so good in a dress? Hehe."

"Nya, Fujiko does look pretty," the redhead blushed, unable to take his eyes off of his best friend.

"Is…Fuji wearing makeup?" Kawamura felt his face flush.

"Ne, Tachibana, what do you think?" Kamio, Fudomine's vice-captain, whispered to his captain in the corner as his team stared in awe.

The black-haired third year coughed, mumbling, "I kinda' wish I was playing Romeo."

"Well then, I see that there's no objections," Tomoka stated satisfactorily on stage as she saw the various nods of agreement around the room.

"I-I still object!" Atobe immediately interjected, standing before Tezuka and Fuji and looking rather flustered as he raised his head at the first year responsible for all this. "I demand that we pick another person, a _girl_, to play Juliet, do you hear me?" His eyes searched Tezuka expectantly, only to find the Seigaku captain seemingly even quieter than usual, as though he was struggling with something. Flaring at this lack of response from his rival, which was even odd for his rival's standards, he turned to his own team for support. "Right, you guys agree?" Instead, he found, much to his chagrin, half of them squeezing their noses and the other half glancing down and shifting their feet around uncomfortably. "Oi!"

"Well then, Atobe-san," Tomoka continued. "If you are uncomfortable acting with another man, then why don't we pick a new Romeo, hm?" she smiled cunningly.

"What? No, impossible! _I'm_ Romeo!" Atobe pointed at himself stubbornly.

"But everyone seems to be in agreement that Fuji will fulfill the role of Juliet quite well. Not even Tezuka Buchou is saying anything against it now. So, if you still feel uncomfortable with it, don't worry. You don't have to force yourself," she snickered.

Atobe was speechless as his mind ran around secretly in turmoil. He was not willing to let the spotlight slip from his fingers. No one steals the spotlight from the great Atobe! At the same time, how is he supposed to act when Juliet is a _man_?

"So," Tomoka glanced back at the rest of the regulars. "Shall we pick another actor who wants to represent his school with pride by playing the famous Romeo in our play?"

"I'LL DO IT!"

"Eh?" Tomoka blinked as everyone jumped at Atobe's sudden outburst, the silvery-haired man clearly conflicted and huffing with determined eyes now.

"No matter what, I'm playing Romeo. It is my responsibility as student council president _and_ tennis captain of Hyotei Academy that I represent my school to the best of my abilities. No one else is capable of matching Hyotei's grand reputation as the best school here, and it is my duty to fulfill that role and ensure the success of this play." He took a deep breath for air.

"Is Atobe trying to…justify himself?" Kawamura remarked quietly to his team as they watched the scene before them unfold.

"Therefore," Atobe continued. "I will be playing Romeo, and if Fuji wants to play Juliet, then so be it!"

An applause erupted from the Hyotei team, who clapped in admiration of their captain's speech. "Bravo, Atobe, bravo," Oshitari complimented, although some of the Seigaku regulars wondered if the remark was genuine or sarcastic.

"Then it's done!" Tomoka jumped up excitedly as the rest of her tennis team reappeared from behind the stage, cheering and giggling amongst themselves in excitement.

"Ugh, why do I feel this is some fangirl's ploy?" Echizen grimaced along with Momoshiro.

"Ne, Tezuka, so, it looks like I'll be playing Juliet," Fuji smiled widdly at his Buchou, who was still speechless and struggling for words, not that he was good with words to begin with. "Tezuka?" He asked coyly with sharp blue eyes that pierce through the very soul.

Tezuka swallowed, his throat dry as he felt his heart beat rapidly and the speed of his blood flow increasing in his veins the longer he stared at those soft rosy cheeks, those long eyelashes, and those pink plump lips…Is Fuji wearing lipstick?

And then, the Seigaku captain stopped in his tracks, feeling a sudden cold rush. He immediately snapped his head to the side, glancing out on instinct at the general area of the auditorium.

"Tezuka?" Fuji blinked, surprised by this type of response. "Tezuka, what's wrong?"

Tezuka continued to stare into the distance, searching carefully, but not quite sure what he was looking for as he found only empty chairs and the rest of the regulars hanging around. His hawk-like brown orbs traveled around the room and stage until resigning from finding nothing out of the norm. He took a small breath. "No," he replied, looking down on the floor and forgetting for a moment Fuji's current state in the dress. For some reason, he suddenly felt chills run down his spine just a moment ago.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet."

"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?"

"Tezuka!"

The serious man sighed as Fuji scolded him.

"Can't you say that a little more…romantically?"

"You do realize who you're telling this too."

"Be a little more serious about this!"

"I am serious."

"Not that type of serious!" Fuji sighed, clearly exasperated.

The two boys were sitting on the bed in Fuji's room, rehearsing the script in their hands, and the tensai was growing more and more frustrated with the way the bespectacled man was reading his lines, not that he should be surprised that it turned out this way.

"Okay, Tezuka. Do this part." Fuji pointed at a particular line in the script.

"Aa." Tezuka adjusted his glasses. "I trust your words. Just call me your love, and I will take a new name. From now on I will never be Romeo again."

Fuji nearly fell backwards. Tezuka had managed to say that whole romantic line in the most dry, monotonous, and boring manner ever. He sighed again as he looked unenthusiastically at his script.

"What is it, Fuji?"

"Nothing." Fuji tossed the script to the side and got on his knees on the bed, leaning towards Tezuka. "Can't you try to act out the part at least?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Tezuka! This is one of the most romantic scenes in the whole play, and you managed to turn it into the most boring material that's going to put the whole audience to sleep!"

"But I'm not playing Romeo. I'm only helping you remember your lines right now."

"That's not the point!" Fuji stared at those serious deep brown orbs and stoic face. He was looking forward to having Tezuka help him rehearse, thinking that it would be romantic. But the bespectacled man had managed to make it the most frustrating experience ever. Blue eyes opening mischievously, Fuji grabbed Tezuka by the collar and tossed him onto the bed with his back against the mattress.

"F-Fuji!" Tezuka cried out in shock, looking up at the tensai who was hovering over him now, those hazelnut bangs tickling the edge of his forehead dangerously.

"If you can't loosen up to play the part of Romeo, than perhaps I can help you with that." Fuji slyly slid a hand down the stomach before slipping into those black pants.

"Fuji!" Tezuka tried to push the tensai away when he gasped at the feel of a palm against his groin.

Fuji leaned in closer towards the bespectacled man's ear, whispering seductively, "My ears have not yet drunk a hundred words of that tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound."

"Fuji, stop! What are you doing? Ah!" Tezuka yelped as passionate heat traveled to that sensitive area where Fuji was feeling him up in a very pleasurable way.

"Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?" Fuji continued reciting his lines, watching in satisfaction Tezuka clench his eyes shut, completely flustered and red. Smiling, he whispered, "What does thou want Juliet to do down here?" He gave a playful squeeze, enjoying the moan before adding, "Kunimitsu?"

Tezuka's eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up and pushed Fuji off of him, blushing profusely and panting for breath.

"Oi!" Fuji complained as he watched the taller man clumsily adjust his glasses.

"Gomen, Fuji," Tezuka apologized between breaths, his heart still beating fast. "It's not that I don't want to do it right now. I'm under a lot of stress." He raked his hand shakily through his hair, something he normally doesn't do, as he glanced away to try to calm himself down after that little session.

Fuji frowned and got behind his Buchou on the bed, wrapping his arms around him and leaning down over his head and against his back. "Ne, Tezuka. I understand. But I can help you relax, no? I can give you some relief," he tempted.

Tezuka lowered his head at the tensai's hot breath against his neck. "I...you don't have to give me that type of relief." He felt rather embarrassed having this conversation.

Fuji chuckled. "I'll just give you a massage for now." And thus, the tensai proceeded to massage Tezuka's shoulders, loosening those tense muscles with his skills. Immediately, he felt the taller man relax, allowing him to work out the hard tissues underneath his skin.

"Aa. Thank you." Tezuka looked to the side. "Shuusuke."

Fuji blinked at this before beaming brightly, enjoying the sight of Tezuka's flushed ears. "Hm, Kunimitsu."

* * *

The next morning, the tennis regulars of Fudomine, Hyotei, Rikkadai, Rokkaku, and of course Seigaku all gathered in the auditorium to work on the play. Tomoka and Sakuno, mostly Tomoka, assigned some of their teammates to design the costumes for the characters in the play. Inui and Yanagi were put in charge of logistics and all backstage duties, using their data to determine the best and most efficient way of setting everything up. Atobe, of course, took it upon himself to oversee the rehearsals with the actors.

"It is not necessary for me to read from a script," Atobe had declared proudly on stage that morning. "For I have already memorized all of my lines."

"That's because he had planned to be Romeo from the very beginning," Momoshiro snickered to Echizen from the edge of the stage as they began working on building the background sets.

Near the curtains, Sanada looked at his script. "Hm, I was never fond of this play."

"But Sanada, I thought you enjoyed classics very much," Yukimura said playfully as he looked at his script too.

"Aa, but I know more Japanese classics. I am not too familiar with foreign classics."

"I see. But this will be fun, right? I do think Tybalt is a rather fitting role for you." He crossed his arms in amusement.

"Perhaps. At least I am not a Montague like Atobe." Sanada watched in annoyance Atobe flashily read off his lines to himself, practicing with no one in particular. "As long as I don't have to be on the same side as him."

Yukimaru chuckled at this. "Sanada, you amuse me." He looked at his script once again, resting his chin on his finger. "Hm, Paris would be a very interesting character to play."

"And you have no problem with the fact that you are the suitor of Juliet, who is a man in this version?"

"Why, I have no problem whatsoever." Yukimura glanced at Fuji, who was talking to Oshitari next to the curtains on the other side of the stage. "Fuji makes a pleasant girl, so it makes no difference to me. Or…" he looked up at Sanada closely with a smile. "Do you find it so wrong for a man to pursue another man?"

Sanada looked at those vague eyes of his captain, always steady, always seemingly pleasant, and always hiding something frightening and sometimes deadly underneath. He looked away, unfazed. "It's an unnecessary question."

"Hm, you disappoint me," Yukimura remarked with a shrug, more to himself than to his vice-captain. And then, the two noticed the tall bespectacled student council president of Seigaku step onto the stage where the hazelnut-haired tensai was.

Sanada's hands immediately tensed over the script, slightly shaking. His bold dark eyes narrowed as he watched Seigaku's capatain from a distance. "Tezuka."

"Oi, you two," Niou interrupted, throwing both arms around his captain and vice-captain from the middle. "Do you have your lines memorized already?"

"Not yet," Yukimura smiled. "How about you, Mercutio?"

Niou smirked playfully, his light gray bangs hanging over his face. "Mercutio, one of the most extraordinary characters in the play. Witty, feverous, imaginative, charming, strange, and satirical – I do say that I have a great part, not to mention he's my favorite character."

"Yes, I do feel that he fits you perfectly, Niou," Yukimura noted to the trickster of his team.

"But Yukimura Buchou, I'm sorry to say, I thought Yagyuu would've been perfect for Paris, not that you wouldn't do a good job at it. It's just that Yagyuu is the gentleman of Rikkadai."

"Hm, I agree with you. But I will enjoy being Atobe's rival for Juliet's hand," Yukimura motioned to where Hyotei's captain was still basking in his own glory.

Niou snickered. "That Atobe. I can't wait to see when he has to kiss another guy." Both he and Yukimura broke out in good hearty laughter. "Sanada, you should loosen up," he added with a playful shake, watching his vice-captain stand there with arms crossed, still unfazed.

Sanada immediately took Niou's arm off of him. "We don't have time to fool around. We have a lot of things to do," he spoke curtly, his eyes still on Tezuka. "I will defeat that man one day."

Niou rolled his eyes. "Sanada is so obsessed with that Tezuka." He noticed that Yukimura wasn't paying attention. "Yukimura Buchou?"

"Huh? Oh, gomen, Niou. I lost my train of thought," the captain gave a pleasant smile. "It does look like we're about to begin."

The regulars on stage gathered towards the center where Tezuka and Atobe stood, with the two freshman girls Tomoka and Sakuno joining besides them as well.

"Today is the first day of rehearsal," Tezuka began, arms crossed in his captain stance. "The next few days will be tough, so be prepared. We have a lot to do. All actors must memorize their lines as soon as possible by the end of this week. Starting next week, you should not have to use a script. All backstage hands should be nearly finished with the props and sets by next week. And all costumes must be properly fitted and measured by tomorrow, with the final designs completed by next week. Rehearsals will begin at 8AM sharp every morning and run until 2PM in the afternoon with an hour lunch during the day. Is everything clear?"

"Hai!"

"Don't let your guard down."

Kikumaru whispered quietly to Kawamura. "Ne, Buchou is treating this whole play like some military operation."

"Should you be surprised?" The power player chuckled.

"I have here the roles and actors for the play," Tomoka took a step forward, waving the list in the air as Sakuno quickly went to pass out each sheet to everyone. "We tried to be fair and make sure that every school is represented. I will be reading off the names and characters. Please remember who you are and who everyone else is before the end of today."

Everyone glanced down at the character list they received:

Romeo – Atobe Keigo (Hyotei)

Juliet – Fuji Shuusuke (Seigaku)

Friar Lawrence – Oishi Shuichiro (Seigaku)

Mercutio – Niou Masaharu (Rikkaidai)

Tybalt – Sanada Genichiro (Rikkaidai)

Capulet – Yagyuu Hiroshi (Rikkadai)

Lady Capulet – XXX (Seigaku's captain of girl's tennis team)

Montague – Oshitari Yushi (Hyotei)

Lady Montague – Tachibana An (Fudomine)

Paris – Yukimura Seiichi (Rikkaidai)

Benvolio – Jirou Akutagawa (Hyotei)

Prince Escalus – Tachibana Kippei (Fudomine)

Friar John – Aoi Kentaro (Rokkaku)

Balthasar – Kabaji Munehiro (Hyotei)

Sampson, Capulet household – Kamio Akira (Fudomine)

Gregory, Capulet household – Kaidoh Kaoru (Seigaku)

Abram, Montague household – Saeki Kojiro (Rokkaku)

The Apothecary – Inui Sadaharu (Seigaku)

Peter – Amane Davide (Rokkaku)

The Chorus (narrator) – Ibu Shinji (Fudomine)

The Nurse – Ryuzaki Sumire (Seigaku)

"R-Ryuzaki Sensei?" Oishi blurted, staring at the list.

"Oishi-kun, did you think I would not like to be a part of this play?" The coach of Seigaku stepped out onto the stage, surprising everyone. "But of course, I would've liked to play the part of Juliet, hm? Too bad Fuji stole my role. I would've made a very beautiful Juliet," she smiled flirtatiously in an exaggerated sigh.

Everyone groaned in disgust at this prospect.

"Tachibana's sister is in this play too?" Momoshiro blinked at the name on the list along with Echizen in surprise.

"Ne, Momo?"

"Eh?" The second year jumped at two large eyes that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, catching him off guard. "A-An-chan?"

The young girl with short light brown hair giggled in amusement. "Momo, it's good to see you again."

"Oh, hehe," Momoshiro rubbed the back of his head, slightly blushing. "I didn't expect to see you here. So you wanted to be a part of the school play?"

"Hm. I asked my brother if I could join too to show my support for Fudomine. He talked to Tezuka-san about it and he gave his permission."

"That's great!" Momoshiro exclaimed. And then, he blinked and glanced to his side. "Oi, Echizen! Where are you going?"

The freshman only waved his hand with his back already turned away, uninterested.

"This list certainly looks interesting," Kikumaru noted to Kawamura. "It almost seems like Hyotei completely represents the Montague household, while most of Rikkaidai is the Capulet household." He looked up just in time to see the two infamous meganes face each other in a standoff near the front of the stage.

Oishitari adjusted his glasses, a glint flashing across the lens for a brief second. "Ah, Yagyuu, it looks like we will be serving as the head of our respective households."

"That appears to be the case, Oshitari," Yagyuu replied, pushing up the bridge of his glasses as the lens hid his eyes.

"Oh, they look so cool," Kikumaru remarked.

At the front of the stage, Tomoka suddenly took out a megaphone before the group. "All right everyone, we are now going to begin rehearsal. All actors take your respective places. We will start at the beginning of the play."

"Oi, young girl, I'm supposed to be directing the play," Atobe protested, going up to the freshman.

Tomoka held up the megaphone at Atobe. "But Tezuka Buchou said I can-"

"Don't point that thing at me!" Atobe slapped the loud megaphone away. "We agreed that I would be directing the play."

"There have been a change of plans," Tezuka stepped in. "My apologies, Atobe, but we have discussed this in great detail, and it would be better for the lead to concentrate on his role rather than direct the play at the same time."

"Eh? Are you saying I am incapable of leading this school play _and_ perform my role successfully?" Atobe looked extremely offended. "No one doubts the great Atobe!"

"That is not the case. It is simply for logistical reasons."

"And besides, I have nothing else much to do," Tomoka added. "My team is doing well on the costume design, and Sakuno will be dealing with that mostly, so why not use some of my leadership abilities to help direct this play? Plus, I know _Romeo and Juliet_ like the back of my hand."

Atobe was obviously not happy about this. But before he could say another word, Tezuka interrupted, "Please excuse me. I need to go check on the rest of the school clubs. I will be back before noon. Tomoka-chan, I leave the rest up to you. Don't let your guard down." And with that, the Seigaku Kaichou left, leaving Hyotei's own captain with his jaw open in disbelief and the young freshman girl beaming with pride.

Tomoka held up the megaphone. "All right, everyone in their places!"

Atobe jumped at the megaphone blaring in front of him before stomping away, fuming.

* * *

An hour before noon, Tezuka returned to find the regulars well into the middle portion of the play. Surprised that they already gotten that far, he reached the bottom of the stage and spoke with Tomoka, who said that everything was going well.

Well, almost everything.

"Atobe-san! You need to be more natural in this scene!" She yelled into the megaphone.

"Oi! I'm trying to!" Atobe retorted, not liking being ordered around by a freshman girl of all people. "Do you know how hard it is to try to act out a romantic scene with another man?"

Tezuka blinked and glanced up to find Atobe holding Fuji's hand rather awkwardly.

"One more time," Tomoka ordered.

Atobe coughed before reprising his role. "Alas, one angry look from you would be worse than twenty of your relatives with swords. Just look at me kindly, and I'm invincible against their hatred."

"I'd give anything to keep them from seeing you here," Fuji replied, acting shy and distraught.

"The darkness will hide me from them. And if you don't love me, let them find me here. I'd rather they killed me than have to live without your love." Atobe held Fuji's hand closer to him, looking into those closed eyes.

A pause.

"Atobe-san?" Tomoka called into the megaphone.

Atobe sighed loudly in frustration, cringing as he tried hard to look Fuji straight in the face.

"Just jump to line 107," Tomoka sighed. "The vow scene."

Atobe forced himself to put on his most charming manner. "Lady, by yonder blessèd moon I vow, that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops—"

"Who told you how to get here below my bedroom?"

"Kabaji did," Momoshiro nudged Kikumaru from behind the stage as the two chuckled quietly, deriving a furious glare from Atobe.

The Hyotei captain continued, trying to ignore them. "Love showed me the way-OI!" Atobe threw a dirty look at three Seigaku individuals who now began laughing loudly from the back.

"Momoshiro, Kikumaru, Echizen - 20 laps today at practice!"

The three immediately stopped and slumped over, groaning.

Tomoka looked at her watch, frowning. "Hm, it's almost noon, but maybe we should take a short break for now. I was going to wait for Ryuzaki Sensei to come back from her meeting." She glanced back up and held up the megaphone. "Backstage hands, let's take a look at how far along you are with the background sets. All actors, please return to your places in five minutes! We're taking a break."

Everyone began mumbling, eager for the break as Atobe breathed quietly in relief and quickly released Fuji's hand to head towards the steps of the stage. "Kabaji, I need water!"

"Usu."

"Kawamura."

The power player standing on the side where the crew was preparing to showcase their progress turned to see the maroon-haired Kamio from Fudomine tap him on the shoulder. "Want to play a short fun match during lunch? I'm curious of your skills. I want to test my strength against yours."

"Well, I'm not that good to be honest," the power player scratched the back of his head sheepishly and humbly.

"Oh, but I'm really curious to see your skills. Plus, I want to take my mind off of this play. It's creeping me out to see Atobe having to romance his way to Fuji. So what say you, a friendly match during lunch?"

Kawamura chuckled. "I guess, but don't expect anything much."

About ten feet away from the two regulars conversing, Tezuka walked up the steps to join Fuji near the front of the stage.

"Ne, Tezuka, how did your rounds around the school go today?" the tensai asked.

"Good," the taller man replied.

Fuji looked up at the man curiously. "How did I do at that scene? Was it good?"

"Aa."

Fuji chuckled awkwardly. Wanting to probe further, he purposely took a step closer and said in a rather mischievous manner, "Do you find my scenes with Romeo rather convincing?"

"Aa."

Fuji furrowed his eyebrows, getting rather annoyed as he stared at the stoic man retaining the same wooden expression.

Meanwhile, neither boys paid attention to the background set of what seems to be the shape of one side of a twenty feet tall castle-like structure being erected besides them.

Tomoka observed the two dimensional structure as a few of the regulars steadied the design on stage. "Momo-senapi, is that going to hold?"

"It's not the complete finished piece," the second year said as he tried his best to keep the structure in place alongside a few of the other regulars helping him. "And oi, what is Jirou doing there sleeping?"

A few individuals on stage turned their heads to see the sleeping Hyotei student breathing peacefully on the ground.

"Oi Jirou, wake up!" Oshitari called from off the stage next to Atobe and Kabaji. "I'm going to kick you if you don't!"

Upon hearing his teammate's voice, the orangey-hazelnut haired boy with wavy strands opened his eyes sleepily and yawned, slowly getting up onto his feet to stretch. "Is it already time for lunch?" he sighed lazily with a content look on his face as he looked out at where Oshitari stood.

Fuji chuckled at the humorous sight before returning his attention to Tezuka. "Ne, I wonder sometimes why he's always sleeping." He sighed in amusement while the tennis player close to him rubbed his hair sheepishly at the blue-haired genius of Hyotei continuing to scold him. "Want to come with me to go get some water, Tezuka?"

Tezuka nodded and proceeded to follow Fuji towards the stage staircase.

"BUUUURRRNNNINNNNNGGG!"

The sudden booming battle cry filled with fiery passion crashed through the auditorium like a tidal wave, making everyone jump in fright.

"K-Kamio, what did you do?" Oishitari ran up to the Fudomine boy frantically, staring in shock at his teammate swinging the tennis racket in his hand wildly.

"I-I only handed my racket to him to have him take a look!" Kamio quickly defended as he watched in shock the power player raise his hand in excited exuberance as imaginary flames emitted all over him.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!...BURNINNNNNNNGGGGG!"

"Oi, Taka-san! Not too close!" Momoshiro quickly called out, trying to move away from his enraged senpai when he suddenly lost his grip on the structure on stage. "O-oh no! Look out!"

The other regulars who were holding up the structure, upon feeling one end lose balance, began to feel the rest of the weight slowly shift forward.

"Jirou! Get out of the way!" Atobe cried out in horror.

"Hm?" The sleepy boy gradually looked over his shoulder upon feeling a shadow slowly dawn on him, his ears not even hearing the young freshman girl's scream in the distance as his eyes widened in shock at the structure falling towards him in what felt like a torturous eternity.

No one had time to fully process what happened right at that moment, for there was suddenly a blur of a tall man leaping forward, long legs dashing with great speed to reach the Hyotei regular just in the nick of time. There was a loud crash, and everyone jumped and gasped as the structure broke into three large pieces on stage, the impact too much for the already fragile architecture. A rumble echoed throughout the room for a brief moment before silence finally settled in.

Jirou, who had his eyes shut tightly, slowly opened them to see a painful blur of the stage lights above him. He heard shouts of his name, various incomprehensible voices, and the sound of running feet. His back slightly ached at the feel of the hard stage floor underneath.

"Jirou, are you okay?" He recognized Oshitari's urgent voice.

"Oi, Jirou! Say something! Jirou!" Atobe's demanding voice rang nearby too, his captain hovering over him.

"Hey, are you two all right?"

You two?

Jirou blinked a couple times, focusing his vision, and then realized that there was the weight of another body on top of him, a rather heavy one. Slowly, the larger figure above him rose onto his knees, those serious orbs looking down at him before asking, "Are you okay?"

"T-Tezuka?" Jirou couldn't believe his eyes as he felt himself carefully lifted back onto his feet, nearly stumbling before steadying himself. "What happened?"

"Tezuka saved you," Mukahi, one of Hyotei's doubles player, explained to him. "You're lucky he reached you in time to grab you and pull you out of the way." He pointed to the broken structure on stage behind them. "Look what could've happened!"

"You, you saved me?" Jirou looked up at the stoic man who, despite still maintaining a calm demeanor, was slightly out of breath and a little rattled as well by the incident.

"What matters is that you're not hurt," Tezuka said.

The Hyotei regular continued to stare into those deep, brown orbs, finding himself speechless.

"Buchou! Jirou! Are you okay?" Momoshiro asked worriedly, running up to them along with the backstage hands.

"I'm so sorry," Kawamura quickly apologized, the racket now gone from his hand. "I lost control."

"No, it was my fault," Kamio lowered his head in guilt. "I shouldn't have given you the racket."

"It was just a careless mistake," Tezuka reassured, looking at the group that gathered around them anxiously. "Let's just not get careless next time."

"That's right! Let's not get careless, baka!" Atobe smacked Jirou on top of the head.

"Ow! Atobe Buchou is mean! I nearly got hurt!" The sleepy regular cried out childishly, rubbing his head.

"Damn right you nearly got hurt! Don't sleep around in random places like that again!" Atobe continued scolding the boy.

"Tezuka, are you all right?" Fuji lightly touched the taller man's arm worriedly, quite shaken himself after watching the whole scene unfold before him like a movie he would rather not watch again.

"Aa, I'm fine," Tezuka said, dusting himself off. "It is good that no one got hurt."

"Hm," Fuji nodded.

Meanwhile, Tomoka sighed in relief upon seeing the two regulars all right. "How about we just break for an early lunch, everyone? Momoshiro, you and your crew can recreate that set later, right?"

"Hai, we'll just remake it right after lunch," the second year called out from the stage. "It's not too hard. We already got the dimensions and layout figured out anyway, and Inui has all that information in his notebook."

As everyone mumbled about the incident and began to disburse, slowly making their way towards the exits, Fuji said to Tezuka, "Ne, guess it's better that we take our lunch early after that rather scary event, huh?"

"Aa."

"Let's go, Tezuka."

The two Seigaku regulars began heading towards the staircase once more.

Meanwhile, Jirou continued to receive more unwanted lectures and scolding on stage.

"Jirou, next time, be more aware of your surroundings. It's really important, just like in tennis," Oshitari stated very seriously to him.

"You really scared me, Jirou! Really, really scared me!" Mukahi repeated.

"I will not have any misfortunes befall on my team!" Atobe declared. "Oi, Jirou, are you listening?"

But as the rest of the Hyotei team continued rattling on rather passionately, Jirou stared dreamily at the entrance of the auditorium as a certain regular made his exit from the room.

* * *

Lunch was rather uneventful compared to the previous incident that day. But that was what Tezuka had desired. It was enough having to deal with his daily rounds checking up on the progress on all the clubs. It was worse that someone almost got hurt during the day. Thus, having a quiet lunch was anything that Tezuka could have hoped for, not to mention he finally got to spend some peaceful time with the tensai.

"Ne, it's a good thing that you jumped out in time to save him," Fuji continued to comment as the two walked towards the school locker room after having their meals. "Jirou could've gotten seriously hurt."

"Aa. We need to make sure that we take more precautions in the future to not let something similar repeat itself."

"Hm, poor Taka-san is feeling so guilty right now though."

"As long as we don't get careless, everything should be fine."

"True…"

The pair reached a large room and Fuji opened his locker to take out the script he had left in there. Upon opening the door, his eyes lit up in surprise at finding something else inside. "Roses?"

"Hm?" Tezuka glanced down, watching the tensai pull out a very small mini bouquet of three roses neatly wrapped together with a pink ribbon.

Fuji chuckled in amusement. "Tezuka, did you do this?"

"No."

"Eh?" Fuji blinked in surprise at the taller man, finding only a serious and rather confused face staring back at him. He then looked at the flowers again. "If you didn't give me this, then who did?"

Tezuka stared at the small red roses. "Is there a note?"

"Doesn't seem like it," Fuji said, checking his locker one last time. "Ne, it seems like I have a secret admirer. She even knows my locker combination!" He began chuckling in amusement when he felt the mini bouquet taken away from his hands. "T-Tezuka!"

Tezuka tossed the flowers into the trashcan nearby.

Fuji stared at the large bin in shock. "Oi, Tezuka! Why'd you do that? That was mean!"

"It is better to reject the person directly," the bespectacled man stated plainly, his arms crossed.

"Huh?"

"It will be irresponsible of you if you carry that bouquet around and lead the person on."

At this seemingly stoic response, Fuji coyly glanced up at his captain, who stared back with the same immovable face. He tilted his head playfully. "Ne, Tezuka, are you jealous?"

"That is irrelevant. I was simply stating the logical course of action."

"You are jealous."

"Fuji," he warned, narrowing his eyebrows disapprovingly.

The tensai chuckled as he saw Tezuka start to become exasperated. "Fine, fine, I'll let you off the hook since you've had a rather stressful day." Taking the script out of his locker, the tensai closed the door shut and walked alongside the bespectacled man out the door. Unbeknownst to the two third years, a pair of eyes stared quietly at their backs safely from a distance behind a row of lockers just a few feet away.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The afternoon went on without anymore incidents occurring during rehearsal, much to Tezuka's relief. Everything was progressing smoothly, and when two o'clock was about to hit, the Seigaku regulars were already eager to head to the clubhouse to change and begin tennis practice. The auditorium was bustling with noise as the backstage crew cleaned up some of their mess with the sets, the costume designers put away their sewing kits, and the actors chatted amongst themselves with a few even deciding to pair up to rehearse their lines after they leave for home.

Atobe drank out of a bottle of water, gulping it down after a rather difficult rehearsal of reciting love lines to another man.

"Good job today," Oshitari and a few of the Hyotei regulars praised their captain.

"But of course," the haughty man wiped his mouth, sighing proudly. "The great Atobe will never disappoint."

"Atobe-san."

The Hyotei man cringed at the sound of that voice that had been constantly hollering at him with the megaphone throughout the day.

"Tomorrow, please relax more in your scenes with Juliet," Tomoka suggested. "You need to be more romantic, more natural, more…" she sighed, imagining herself with Fuji. "More in love with Fuji."

At this statement, Rikkaidai's Niou and Marui broke out in laughter a couple feet away, overhearing the conversation.

Atobe, clearly irritated, ignored them. "I…understand," he merely said reluctantly. Unfortunately for him, the freshman girl continued.

"You need to be free. Look Juliet in the eyes, and say everything with your heart and soul." She clasped her hands together in a dreamy gaze. "For this is the woman you love, and you can feel it in your heart, which is beating rapidly. You begin having trouble breathing, as though something struck you in a mesmerizing way."

"Tomo-chan," Jirou interrupted. "Gomen, but, is that what one feels when one is in love?"

"Why, of course!" Tomoka beamed. "You get butterflies in your stomach, and you feel like your nerves start kicking in. Your heart is pounding fast the moment you see that person, and, and…"

"And…?" Jirou asked, giving her his full attention. "How do you know…for sure?"

"How do you know?" Tomoka blinked. "You look him in the eyes!" She smiled in an exaggerated faint. "But for you, it will be a her. You will look into her eyes, and you will feel this wonderful feeling, as though you're flying in the clouds and your heart is fluttering. That's how you know you're in love."

"That's how I know…that I'm in love?" Jirou repeated to himself, thinking.

Atobe immediately broke the atmosphere. "Enough! It is time for us to go. Come!" he ordered, not wanting to be taught how to act out a romance scene anymore by a freshman. Of course he knows how to be romantic and act in love. He IS popular among the ladies in Hyotei, and he IS charming with his good looks, personality, and talents. If he has to sit through anymore of the young girl's lecturing (and how dare she lectures him!), he will feel like he's going to explode. "Jirou, are you coming or not?"

"H-hai!" Jirou quickly gathered himself, about to hop off the stage to join his Hyotei team when he paused for a moment and glanced over his shoulder.

"Jirou!"

The sleepy Hyotei regular turned back around and proceeded to catch up with his teammates.

Meanwhile, Tezuka entered a discussion with his coach on stage, figuring out if the tennis practice schedule for the week needs anymore adjustments given everyone's responsibilities at this point. After a minute of debating, the two decided to see how the week goes first before making anymore changes. As Ryuzaki left the stage to head over to her office first, Tezuka was approached by Sanada.

"Tezuka."

"Aa, Sanada," the Seigaku captain greeted.

"Yukimura and I were wondering if you would mind us watching your practice today."

Tezuka thought for a moment about this request. "I would need to speak with Ryuzaki Sensei first."

Sanada nodded. "I understand." He walked away, and just as Tezuka was wondering if it would be problematic to have a rival school, especially Rikkaidai, sit in on their practice session, he was approached by Atobe.

"Tezuka," Atobe greeted with a smile, having just returned from going outside. "It appears that our ride is late. Would you mind if we watch you guys practice today? We got nothing else to do. We would even be willing to participate in some rallies with your team to measure our skills, if you know what I mean."

Tezuka blinked. "I would have to discuss this with Ryuzaki Sensei first."

Atobe nodded. "No problem. Let me know." He walked off the stage to join his team at the front row seats.

Tezuka frowned, wondering what would be the best decision. Normally, he wouldn't mind having another school watch their practice, but there was the risk of exposing their strategies and skills, especially to rival schools who are already difficult to defeat as is. At the same time, he wanted to be respectful and a good sportsman, and both Rikkaidai and Hyotei, despite being extremely challenging on the courts, are very respectable and honorable schools.

"You appear to be in a dilemma, Tezuka," Fuji walked up to him, noticing his captain lost in deep thought. "So Hyotei and Rikkaidai both want to watch us practice?"

"Aa."

"Hm, that would be interesting, although I wonder if they're just trying to observe us or gather more data on us. Rikkaidai does have Yanagi."

"It would also give me the opportunity to gather more data on them," Inui interjected, joining them in the conversation as he adjusted his glasses. "I can better observe them on the tennis courts, even though they won't be playing."

"Not a bad idea," Fuji noted. "What do you think, Tezuka?"

"At the end, it will be up to Ryuzaki Sensei," Tezuka stated clearly. "I'll go ask her right now."

* * *

During tennis practice that day, the regulars noted their unusual audience around the courts.

"Oi, it looks like they came to see how much better we are than them," Momoshiro stated with a smile, dangling his racket over his shoulder.

"Ochibi, it's time for us to show them what we're made of," Kikumaru teased the freshman.

"Hm, this is going to be interesting," Echizen smirked as he tugged on his cap, large green eyes challenging the Hyotei and Rikkaidai teams watching on the other side of the gated fence.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tezuka asked his coach once more, arms crossed as he watched the club members stretch.

"As long as we don't reveal any of our secrets, it will be fine, Tezuka-kun," the coach responded confidently with a grin. "We'll just concentrate more on the basics of tennis, with an emphasis on muscle training, skills honing, and agility with speed."

"Aa."

Thus, the famous Buchou of Seigaku thought that practice would go smoothly that day. Unfortunately for Tezuka, nothing ever goes as smoothly as he would have liked. Within an hour, he already had to assign laps to Kikumaru for getting distracted by taunts from Hyotei's Mukahi (his rival), Momoshiro for trying to show off and failing by accidentally hitting a first year in the head (the young boy had to go to the infirmary), and Echizen for challenging Atobe to a match and calling him Monkey King (not that Tezuka minded). To further top off the tennis captain's headaches, sometime in the middle of practice, Tezuka overheard the conversation between Atobe and Sanada.

"Oi, Sanada," Atobe had began, throwing a confident glance at the vice-captain standing nearby with Yukimaru between the two.

"What is it, Atobe?" Sanada responded rather gruffly, arms crossed and eyes focusing intensely on the practice before them.

"Remember, no one is allowed to beat Tezuka until I have."

This remark earned more than just a glance from Sanada. "What do you mean?" he asked, face clearly unpleasant and unfriendly.

"You know what I mean," Atobe stated with what Rikkaidai's vice-captain would consider the most obnoxious smile he had ever seen. "I will be the one to defeat Tezuka."

Sanada watched the Hyotei captain carefully before returning his attention to the courts before him. "That is of none of my concern."

"Then perhaps we should settle it with a little duel," Atobe offered. "Tennis would be the most appropriate, of course. Or, since we are both in the school play," he waved his hand in a half curtsy, "perhaps we should determine it with our acting skills?"

Sanada didn't bother to look at Atobe, but he clearly heard what the Hyotei captain had said.

"Sanada, a duel to determine who will be the one to defeat Tezuka."

"My aim is to defeat everyone no matter who they are," he finally spoke curtly. "Your own goal is not of my concern." Dark eyes flickering, he intensified his gaze at the courts before him.

"Oh? So are you admitting you're afraid you'll lose Tezuka to me?" Atobe mocked slowly.

Sanada eyed him, now irritated. "You will never have the right to Tezuka."

"Perhaps you two shouldn't be discussing this matter at the current moment," Yukimura kindly interjected with a pleasant smile. "It would appear that Tezuka has heard everything and is now feeling rather awkward and uncomfortable."

Both Atobe and Sanada blinked in surprise and returned their attention to the Seigaku captain, whose back was still facing them. There wasn't any visible movement or reaction in the tall man, but unbeknownst to them, Tezuka was feeling not just awkward and uncomfortable as Yukimura described, but _disturbed_. The fact that two of his rivals would even consider battling each other as though he was some trophy waiting to be won was greatly absurd and even slightly unsettling. Although Tezuka had his arms crossed in his usual stern captain stance as he watched the team practice, there was a sweat drop that trickled down the side of his temple. Could this practice not have turned out worse?

"Hey, Monkey King," Echizen called out as he ran along the gated fence in his round of laps, nearing the two outside schools, "You and your girlfriend won't be the ones defeating Tezuka. That's because," Echizen pointed at himself with an arrogant smile as he is about to job past them, "_I'll_ be the one to defeat Buchou. So, sorry to break your hearts on your unrequited crushes on Buchou."

Unfortunately for the two aforementioned rivals, their respective teammates broke into slight chuckles and giggles from the first year's comment before earning death glares from the two men.

And unfortunately for Seigaku's own captain, Tezuka had dropped his head into his hand with a painful groan, wishing that he had never agreed to the two schools' request.

* * *

Finally, tennis practice ended, and Tezuka felt like it was one of the worst practices he had ever had to dealt with. Thus, he was feeling rather relieved as he took off his sweaty regulars shirt and folded it neatly before placing it in his locker in the clubhouse. The two schools had left, and the Seigaku regulars and non-regulars had gone home. He had to meet with his coach one last time when practice ended, and by the time he returned, everyone was gone. Sighing at the peaceful air, he stripped to his bare bottom, covered himself with a towel, and headed for the showers.

The shower never felt so good. He breathed in deeply in the stall as the warm water trickled over his aching muscles that had been tense from the nuisances he had to deal with that day. He even lost track of how many times he had to assign laps. Throwing his head under the shower head, he wiped his face, enjoying the chore of cleaning off the sweat. And then he felt a hand run up his behind.

Shocked, Tezuka whirled around, seeing a blurry figure with what appears to be hazelnut hair standing before him. Immediately reaching out a hand towards the top of the stall, he grabbed his glasses and put them on in a hurry.

"Fuji! What are you doing here?"

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji folded his arms, admiring the completely wet naked body before him. "I was just waiting for you. By the time I came to the clubhouse to look for you again, you were already in the shower here."

Tezuka felt rather awkward standing in his current state as he watched the tensai carefully. "Why are you still in your regulars uniform? Go change." He was about to return to shower when he noticed that Fuji hadn't moved an inch. "Fuji," he stressed warningly. But at this point, Tezuka felt his heart begin to beat randomly at the silent tensai who cocked his head at an angle, a strange grin on his face and a rather unsettling glint in those clear blue eyes.

"Tezuka," Fuji took a step forward.

Tezuka took a step back.

"I haven't showered too," the blue-eyed regular smiled. "So I decided to change afterwards." He took another step forward into the stall.

Tezuka took another step back, rather weary of his own vulnerable state.

"And you've had a rather stressful day, right?" Those blue eyes lit up like a hawk as the taller man found himself backed up against the wall of the stall, the shower pouring over his shoulders in a foreboding manner. Fuji grinned wider and slowly reached out a hand, tracing a finger across those lips that were struggling to hide the anxiety in those handsome deep brown eyes. "Should I…relieve you?" The tensai traced his hand downward towards the chest, fingers trailing teasingly against the middle before passing the navel and touching that proud manhood he very much loves.

Immediately, Tezuka flinched, breaking out of his trance and gently pushing Fuji away. "Fuji, we're in the clubhouse."

"Everyone went home."

"This is highly inappropriate."

"We've done many inappropriate things."

"Fuji!"

The tensai grabbed a bar of soap on the side and held it up teasingly in front of Tezuka.

"What are you doing?" Tezuka asked obliviously.

"Allow me to wash you." Fuji slowly rubbed the bar of soap in circular motions over Tezuka's chest, letting the foam gather and wash away under the water. "You've had a long day."

Tezuka blinked and watched in surprise as Fuji ran the soap soothingly up his neck before traveling over the shoulders and down his biceps. Tezuka didn't expect to find this so relaxing, and he felt his muscles begin to loosen as Fuji continued to run the soap around his navel and down towards his manhood. That's when he flinched and glanced down to find in shock Fuji running the soap over the shaft repeatedly. He immediately grabbed the tensai's wrist, stopping him. "What…are you doing?"

"I'm washing you," Fuji purred, proceeding to wash that member hanging between those legs.

Tezuka released Fuji and felt the urge to back up further away from the soap, only to find himself trapped. He breathed rather nervously as his eyes watched the tensai pull the shaft outward and lather it with soap slowly in a very intimate manner, not even missing the inner corners of the thighs. He closed his eyes and attempted to steady his breathing, trying in vain to calm his heart that was beating rapidly. Perhaps it was getting too hot in the shower, and his mind was growing delirious. Maybe that's why he couldn't move away as Fuji slid the soap against the sensitive skin.

Tezuka immediately opened his eyes with a gasp when he felt that bar of soap move around his buttocks, lathering in circular motions around the flesh. Looking down, he found a pair of blue eyes gazing at him.

"You need cleaning here too. I need to prepare you," Fuji teased as he rubbed the soap up that perfectly shaped behind, chuckling at Tezuka looking away with a flushed face. "Tezuka, you're getting hard just from my washing you?"

The Seigaku captain didn't need the tensai to tell him that. In fact, he didn't even need to see that he was rather hard right now. His member was aching, and he gritted his teeth as Fuji spread his butt cheeks and ran the soap playfully down the rip, ignoring the fact that he himself was getting soaked in his Seigaku uniform underneath the showerhead.

"Fuji!" Tezuka yelped as the soap poked at his entrance in a ticklish manner, making his face turn red.

Fuji pulled back a little and chuckled at the taller man's flustered state. He ran a hand lovingly over Tezuka's groin, emitting a moan from the man as he finished washing the shaft, his wet hazelnut looks now clinging onto his face, making him look even more seductive. "It looks like you're all cleaned now." Setting the soap to the side, Fuji turned the shower head to aim to the side away from them, leaving the Seigaku captain feeling rather cold at the air hitting his wet skin, therefore even more sensitive to the tensai's touch. "Tezuka," Fuji whispered closely towards those lips as he ran both hands up Tezuka's thighs, rubbing up and down slowly, sensually, temptingly. "You want this now, right?"

Tezuka swallowed and glanced away, his body frozen at the sensation hitting his groin. And then he flinched and moaned loudly in surprise as Fuji grasped his manhood roughly and stroked hard once. "Fuji, no, stop," he breathed, hand pushing against the tensai's arm. "That's enough for now."

But Fuji only looked up at Tezuka with seductive, mischievous eyes before lowering himself onto his knees and taking that large shaft into his mouth.

Tezuka cried out, eyes wide open in shock at the wonderful, glorious feeling of Fuji's warm mouth sucking him hard. He immediately clenched his teeth and twitched, trying not to come fast as Fuji licked the tip and kissed it before tasting him even deeper. The tension had no doubt built up down there from the lack of touch, not that Tezuka would admit it. Tezuka leaned further against the tiled wall, his hand grasping those hazelnut locks and stroking them as he breathed at that talented tongue pleasuring him generously.

"Tezuka, you're completely rock hard now," Fuji pulled away with a pop temporarily, admiring his work. "You're really tense down here." He ran his tongue across the shaft, enjoying watching the body quiver in spasms.

"Fuji, let's just…end this," Tezuka managed to say between breaths, now feeling the guilt of doing this in the clubhouse.

"Hm, I'm disappointed you want to make this quick. But unfortunately for you today, I'm going to do more to you." Fuji took the sacks into his mouth, massaging them with his tongue before feeling two hands pry his head away.

"Don't do that," Tezuka cried out apprehensively, feeling like he was about to go crazy the minute Fuji touched that area.

"Ne, Tezuka, was it too much?" Fuji ignored Tezuka's reaction and gently bit down on the sacks before massaging them with his hand and mouth, watching those two legs now shake and struggle to hold themselves up from collapsing. And then, moving back up to the hard-on, Fuji took it into his mouth and sucked it roughly like a popsicle, exaggerating his movements to further send Tezuka over the edge.

And send Tezuka over the edge he did, for Tezuka cried out loudly, his cracked voice echoing across the shower room as he came in Fuji's mouth.

Fuji swallowed his lover's juice, licking his lips in satisfaction. Except, he wasn't completely satisfied yet. He smiled at the sight of Tezuka sliding down against the wall onto the ground, panting hard and eyes dazed as though not sure what had hit him. Feeling the painful tightness in his own pair of wet pants clinging to the obvious bulge between his legs, Fuji staggered out of the stall to grab a nearby stool and dragged it into the shower.

Tezuka glanced up at the tensai. "What are you doing now?" he asked, still breathless from that orgasm.

Fuji grinned and pulled Tezuka up by the arm. And then, positioning the stool in the middle of the shower, he pushed the captain face forward over it so that the man was now facing the wall of the stall on his feet while bent over with his buttocks facing Fuji.

Tezuka blinked, not processing at first his current state as he found the stool up against his stomach and his hands grasping the edges from falling. And then, the shocking realization of what would happen next daunted on him. "Fuji! Not here!"

"But Tezuka, I still haven't washed you completely," Fuji teased, taking the bar of soap again and turning the shower head so that the water was now pouring all over Tezuka's back. The bespectacled man would've tensed even more if it wasn't for the relaxing feeling of Fuji rubbing the soap in soothing circular motions and using his hands to cleanse his skin.

Fuji smiled as he admired this view of Tezuka bent over for him. Licking his lips in anticipation, he set the soap aside and rubbed his hands all over those perfect butt cheeks, groping and touching hungrily.

"Haaah!" Tezuka nearly squealed, if he was able to, the moment Fuji stuck a finger into his entrance before pulling it out.

"Tezuka, I want to lick you here," Fuji got back down onto his knees and spread those butt cheeks before running a tongue up the rim.

Tezuka yelped, his legs shaking as he glanced over his shoulder. "Fuji, no, not here. Someone may see, ohhh…" his voice trailed off as Fuji licked the entrance before probing a tongue into those ring of tight muscles. Tezuka clung onto the stool that was much too small as he held on for dear life and closed his eyes, head hanging over the edge with hair dangling. His heart beat even faster at finding himself hunched over in a humiliating state. He whined and quivered, wishing and not wishing for Fuji to stop as Fuji lathered his tongue all over his entrance and sucked and lubricated it with his own saliva. "Oh gosh…Fuji, enough. I can't take it anymore," he pleaded, feeling like he was about to explode as the tensai licked him deeper.

"Patience, I will relieve you soon." Fuji stood up straight and breathed excitedly as he pushed down the front part of his shorts to take out his own aching hard-on and positioned it behind the entrance. And then, leaning over that bent body, he whispered huskily into those flushed ears, ignoring the water that poured over his hair in doing so, "This is going to feel great, Kunimitsu." He thrust in, deriving a sharp cry from the man, and then thrust his hips forward again, and again, and again, pounding himself into that body.

Tezuka moaned and whimpered uncontrollably, unable to prepare for that swift penetration as Fuji went straight into hitting his sweet spot, nearly driving him mad again. He clung tighter over the stool, face staring down at the shower flower as Fuji threw himself against him. "Stop! Fuji, too much! Fuji!"

Fuji immediately stopped, rather surprised as he found Tezuka panting hard and shaking. Frowning, he leaned forward and pet the top of that trembling head, ruffling those wet locks soothingly and whispering kindly, "Tezuka, are you all right? Did I scare you again?"

"No, it's not that," Tezuka breathed, glancing back at those blue eyes. "It was just…a little too much."

Fuji blinked, noting those blushing cheeks on that normally stern Buchou. Smiling, he kissed the back of Tezuka's neck and said, "It's okay. You can be as loud as you want. No one will hear you."

"That's not what I mean-HAI!" Tezuka flicked his head back and gasped as Fuji slammed into him, lips kissing his back hungrily and teeth nibbling even the corners of his neck before leaving more marks on that broad back. His knees buckled at Fuji wrapping his hand around to stroke his neglected manhood, and the taller man groaned loudly and whined. The pleasures were overwhelming him while the shower sprayed at his back in a loving manner. Unable to hold himself back, Tezuka cried out louder than usual on a whim, surrendering as the pleasures graced his groin and his insides. Having to do this bent over a small stool made him lose much of his resistance as he spent more time trying to make sure he doesn't fall over.

Fuji grunted himself as he swayed his hips passionately, enjoying those ring of muscles clenching over his own shaft. He had been waiting to take Tezuka roughly like this in such an inappropriate place, not that he hasn't before, and was living on ecstasy as Tezuka's erotic noises sung like music to his ears. He stroked harder and increased his thrusts, loving this man madly. More. Oh yes, more!

"Shuusuke!" Tezuka threw his head back and clenched his fingers over the edge of the stool as he reached his climax, his muscles spasming out of control with the wave of intensifying orgasms repeatedly striking him ruthlessly.

Meanwhile, Fuji thrust a few more times before biting on his lip and leaning over to release his load as he orgasmed and moaned in ecstasy, placing his hands on Tezuka's back for support before breathing in relief. He patted that lop of hair beneath him and kissed the top of the head gently, his Seigaku uniform long ago completely soaked.

The water continued to pour over the two tired bodies, washing away the sweat and semen down into the drain. For awhile, neither said anything until Fuji pulled out of Tezuka and stood up, helping him back onto his feet, except Tezuka ended up scrambling against the wall for more support as he felt his legs cave in.

"Gomen, Tezuka, are you all right?"

The bespectacled man swallowed and tried to catch his breath, still feeling the echoes of their love making session as the steam from the shower started to make his head spin. Or at least he thought it was the steam. Actually, perhaps it's the fact that he can't see clearly at the moment through fogged up glasses. Admittedly, the sex was mind-blowing just now, and Tezuka was trying to gather his senses, which were still attempting to function properly from being overloaded. "Let me…finish showering," was all he was able to say.

Fuji smiled at the flustered man still avoiding his eyes. "Then let me help you finish."

* * *

Tezuka found himself in surprisingly good spirits the next morning. He wasn't quite sure why, but after a good night's rest, he felt completely refreshed. Yes, that's right. It must've been the sleep. He entered the school gates, not minding the giggles of girls nearby who watched him past by. It was another day of more student council duties for the interschool festival, but Tezuka found himself surprisingly not minding that day. Although he was in a lighter mood, he still appeared stern and serious to everyone else around him. That's when Inui approached him in the hallway.

"Tezuka," Inui pushed up his glasses. "Can I speak to you for a moment? I have what you asked me for."

Tezuka glanced around. And then, nodding, he followed Inui to a corner to exit out the doors before arriving at a deserted grassy lawn underneath some trees.

Inui rummaged in his pocket before taking out a small maroon velvet pouch and handing it to Tezuka. "It's all ready."

Tezuka took the pouch and opened it, dumping the contents into his large palm. Out came two silver rings, simple but brimming nicely underneath the sun seeping through the trees. He looked at them closely to find the engravings on the insides of the rings: "F & T".

Inui smiled as he watched Tezuka continue to stare at those rings with that stoic face of his. "I gather that you like them?"

"Aa," Tezuka said simply.

"It took a week to find the right ones, affordable ones, before I could engrave them."

"I apologize for the trouble."

Inui held up his hand. "It is no trouble, Tezuka. Although, I do find it a surprise that you actually have a romantic side."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. "Inui."

"Just kidding," Inui opened up his notebook and held it up before Tezuka. "This is the cost."

"Aa," Tezuka nodded and pulled out his wallet to take out some cash to pay Inui.

"Thank you," Inui took the payment. "I'll be heading to the lab now. I have some more tests to run." He turned around, jotting something in his notebook before mumbling, "Ii data," and disappearing around a corner.

Meanwhile, Tezuka stared at the rings in his palm. One looked rather large compared to the other one. The bespectacled man never knew his fingers were _that_ big. Frowning, he gently let the rings roll in his palm. Perhaps this was too soon. Perhaps they were still too young. But it couldn't hurt to wear something to symbolize that they were together, just for the two of them that is. He had given this some thought for the last few weeks, and decided that this would be the best route to go. After all, he already knew who he wanted to be with for the rest of his life.

Placing the rings back into the pouch and putting it securely in his school bag, Tezuka entered the building once more and headed back towards the hallways, occasionally nodding at students who greeted him. He would wait until the final night of the interschool festival before presenting the rings. It would be a rather opportune moment, and by then, he would be finished with most of his responsibilities and therefore have more time to enjoy himself that evening.

Soon, Tezuka ran into his vice-captain and the tensai.

"Good morning, Tezuka," Oishi greeted warmly. "It's another busy day."

"Aa," Tezuka responded, subtly making sure the strap over his bag was secured tightly.

"I hope you slept well," Fuji smiled in a tone filled with innuendos.

The Seigaku Buchou obviously pretended he didn't notice.

"Tezuka, Fuji and I were just discussing yesterday's practice. Upon having Rikkaidai and Hyotei there, we had some ideas."

"Oh?"

The two regulars walked alongside their captain to the locker room.

"We'll run it by you first before we discuss it with Ryuzaki Sensei," Oishi continued as Tezuka opened his locker.

"Actually, Eiji had made some good observations and brought them up with Oishi first," Fuji added before blinking. He watched as Tezuka stared at his locker, not moving.

"Tezuka, is there something wrong?" Oishi asked carefully, wondering why their captain was suddenly still.

Tezuka reached into his locker and pulled out what looked like a lunch in a paper bag.

The other two regulars stared at the brown bag before Fuji snorted. "Ne, Tezuka, it looks like you got a secret admirer too."

"But, shouldn't the secret admirer do a nicer job?" Oishi chuckled uneasily. "I mean, it's in a plain paper bag."

"Tezuka, open it," Fuji beamed excitedly. "Let's see what you got. Maybe it's a love confession!"

Tezuka sighed, clearly not looking forward to this. He was never one to feel complimented by such miscellaneous things, especially love confessions and secret admirers. Unenthusiastically, he opened the bag and dumped it upside down towards his palm. Much to his surprise, something heavy and slimy fell onto his hand before slipping off immediately and falling onto the floor with a loud thump.

At that moment, Tezuka froze, and his deep brown eyes enlarged in a startle as his skin went ice cold. If there was a day that Tezuka would pick where he felt his heart nearly stop, this day would be it.

For there, sliding to a stop on the hard bare floor, was a bar of soap.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tezuka continued to stare at the bar of soap lying forebodingly on the ground, the object having even left a trail of slick wet fresh foam along the hard cold floor.

_Who was it?_

_Who was it?_

_Who was it?_

The world seemed to have stopped for a second in the most nauseating manner, or maybe it was spinning out of control. Even Fuji, who stood right next to him, seemed rather uneasy.

"That's…" the tensai slowly began with a grim smile.

"Who would give a bar of soap as a gift?" Oishi asked, completely surprised and confused. But upon noticing his comrades acting rather oddly, he scratched his face with a nervous chuckle and added, "Um, is everything all right?"

Immediately, Tezuka leaned down to swipe up the bar of soap and slammed it straight into the trashcan, the hollow sound reverberating off the walls of the locker room with a loud angry thud. The normally calm student council president was now seething, his fists clenched tightly until the knuckles were shaking furiously. What kind of a sick joke is this? At the same time, he heard Fuji opening his own locker door behind him.

"Neh, there's a box of chocolate h-Tezuka!" Before Fuji could object, the now agitated Buchou swiftly snatched the box away from the tensai's hand and dumped it into the large trash bin as well.

"T-Tezuka, what's gotten into you?" Oishi stammered, carefully holding out his hand towards his best friend who was breathing rather hard now, those sharp brown orbs staring intensely down at the trashcan. And then, Tezuka suddenly turned around unexpectedly and brushed right past him, surprising even Fuji.

"Tezuka! Where are you going?" Fuji asked frantically, quickly following the bespectacled man with Oishi walking closely behind.

The normally stoic student council president well known for being able to control his emotions even in the most challenging of moments, especially on the tennis courts, was now finding himself unable to remain calm. He stormed through the hallway, with unfortunate nearby students immediately jumping out of the way in confusing fright.

Fuji and Oishi's voices called out to him as the two attempted to catch up to the taller man's unusual fast strides at the moment. The pair soon found themselves turning a corner, realizing that they were walking in the direction of the building exit that takes one to the path leading to the auditorium. Unclear about what is exactly going through Tezuka's mind (at least one wasn't sure, that is), the two noticed as they left the building another pair of very familiar regulars from a certain school chatting underneath one of the trees lined up along the sidewalk.

The silvery-white haired man with sharp green eyes turned away from conversing with Bane just in time to see the three Seigaku regulars approaching him. "Yo, good morning to you al-"

_BAM! _

Saeki found himself pinned firmly against the tree, a rather large and extremely strong hand gripped tightly around his shirt collar, nearly knocking the wind out of him.

"Tezuka!" Both Oishi and Fuji cried out in shock, frantically running over to pry away their captain, who was glaring with frightening fiery eyes at the Rokkaku regular held up against the tree.

"Oi, Tezuka-san, what has gotten into you!" Bane tried to remove the hand off of his friend's collar, but despite his strength and taller height, he was surprised to find just how much of an iron grip the Seigaku Buchou actually has.

"I warned you last time!" Tezuka growled sternly at the Rokkaku man now gasping for air. "You've gone too far this time!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Saeki barely squeaked audibly.

"Tezuka, calm down! This is unlike you!" Oishi tried to reason his friend, tugging on those solid biceps of muscles.

"Tezuka!" Fuji jumped in front of Tezuka, blue orbs glaring at yet pleading with the bespectacled man.

The taller Seigaku regular suddenly froze at those clear blue eyes catching him intently, and upon realizing what he was doing, he immediately released his grip, slightly embarrassed but still angry.

Saeki coughed against the tree, gasping for breath as Bane held him up for support. "Are you crazy?" he panted, tugging on his shirt collar to loosen it up for more air room.

"I should be asking you that," Tezuka stressed through clenched teeth as he towered over the silvery-white haired male. "Your games have reached their limits, and what you did this time crossed the line!"

Saeki glared, not pleased by having to be yelled at, especially by _this_ man of all people. "I don't know what you're talking about, so I suggest you first kindly explain to me what exactly you're accusing me of before you go on a blind rampage."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, wanting to punch that face of the one who caused him enough trouble already. He was already nearing his limit with the massive responsibilities thrown upon him due to the interschool festival. He was definitely not in the mood to act very patient at the moment.

"Okay, wait, let's calm down here," Bane immediately stepped in between them, holding out his hands to prevent either from possibly acting on the temptation to jump one another. "Tezuka-san, please, explain what happened exactly."

Tezuka opened his mouth.

_Someone saw Fuji and I having sex in the showers of the clubhouse and decided to leave a bar of soap in my locker._

He closed his mouth. Hm, that doesn't seem to bode well.

"What Tezuka is trying to say," Fuji quickly stepped in, clearly understanding Tezuka's silent internal turmoil, "is that someone has been leaving flowers and chocolates in my locker while also leaving something…unpleasant in Tezuka's."

"Oh?" Saeki raised an eyebrow, clearly interested in the matter now. And then, seeing Tezuka cross his arms in a firm stance, the Rokkaku man held up his hands. "Wait, you're not saying…you think I did it?"

"Who else would, knowing your history?" Tezuka glared.

"Hold up, Tezuka-san, Saeki is with me now," Bane interrupted.

"Oi, I never said I was with you!" Saeki protested.

"Excuse me, but," Oishi stepped in awkwardly. "Granted I don't really know everything, I think I can sorta' guess what's going on. Fuji, have you been receiving gifts from a secret admirer?"

Fuji nodded. "But just a small bouquet of roses and a tiny box of chocolates."

"Psh, I can do better than that," Saeki smirked, ignoring those brown orbs shooting daggers at him. "But I clearly see what's going on now. Fuji has a secret admirer, and the secret admirer seems to not like the ogre Tezuka, who is obviously jealous right now."

The Seigaku captain found it even harder to maintain his composure around this obnoxious man.

Saeki immediately looked at the bespectacled student council president straight in the eyes, throwing a rather confident and arrogant smile. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not the one responsible. I already told you, I haven't done anything, nor do I plan to. I lost fair and square to you last time and gave up on Fuji. Or do you really think I would back out on my word now of all times?" Saeki stood up straight, smoothing out his school uniform top. "Think about it, Tezuka. This doesn't fit my style. I'm much cleverer than that. Roses and chocolates? Psh, not my thing." He waved it off condescendingly.

Both Tezuka and Fuji blinked. "So, you didn't do it?" Tezuka asked, much calmer now.

"I did not. Although, I'm now finding this to be rather interesting," Saeki leaned his back against the tree, raking his hand through his silky white-silvery strands. "Fuji _is_ popular and he _is _beautiful. I don't find it a surprise that he has an admirer right now. However, I'm much more curious about…" dark green eyes glanced steadily at the taller man, "what could the admirer have put in your locker to send the famous, calm, well-disciplined tennis captain of Seigaku into an angry rampage?"

Tezuka stood still, unwavering.

"Actually, it was just a bar of soap," Oishi answered.

If Tezuka was a sarcastic person, he would thank Oishi right now.

"Soap?" Saeki blinked, not expecting such a reply before those lips curved into a knowing sneer. "Oh…the admirer was sending out a message. A very clear message." Dark green eyes observed closely those seemingly immovable, wooden facial features of the taller male. "So just a soap? An ordinary soap unwrapped and possibly _used_? Hm, I wonder where he or she got that from." He tilted his head curiously at the particular pair standing before him. "Must be from some very public showers, I suppose."

At this remark, Tezuka's cheeks began flushing a dark shade of red as flashes of Fuji pounding into him passionately flashed across his mind.

"Now, what could the admirer have seen to make him want to take this particular bar of soap and give it to you as a gift?"

Even Oishi, who was usually slow, didn't take too long in catching on the innuendos, for his black orbs soon slowly enlarged into rather shocked ones as cheeks blushed an embarrassing pink. Bane, on the other hand, merely glanced away with his hands in his pockets, trying to act indifferent.

Saeki shook a finger at Tezuka disapprovingly. "Tsk, tsk, you surprise me, Tezuka Buchou," he snickered. "And I can tell you, based on what you and Fuji have told me, this admirer doesn't sound very happy right now."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. Without a word, he walked right past the Rokkaku pair, leaving the rest behind.

"T-Tezuka, wait!" Oishi immediately ran off to catch up with his best friend. "Gomen, Saeki, Bane!" he called out over his shoulder.

"I better get going too," Fuji said, ready to take off right after Oishi.

"Wait, Shuusuke," Saeki stopped him.

Fuji glanced back at his childhood friend.

The sarcastic snicker was no longer smeared across the silvery-white haired boy's face. Instead, there was a small hint of worry in those dark green eyes. "I have a bad feeling about this. You better be careful."

Fuji nodded. "Hm, thanks," and headed off.

As the two Rokkaku regulars watched the three Seigaku players head back into the auditorium, they reflected on the conversation.

"Saeki," Bane began.

"Ah. This is a rather unsettling matter," Saeki remarked, unusually serious as he lowered his head to rest his chin on his fingers. "For the admirer to go as far as to send them a bar of soap, no doubt as a way of intimidation, means that this is not just some ordinary admirer."

"I agree. This whole thing seems rather disturbing," Bane replied with a frown, not liking the situation. And then, his eyes carefully glanced at his friend.

Saeki turned and noticed this. "Oi! Don't tell me you think I did it too!" he shouted, irritated.

"No, rather, I was wondering, should we do something about it?"

"Hm?" Saeki blinked. Thinking for a few seconds, he replied, "It's their business. Let them handle it. I was already out of the game long ago," he stated bitterly, remembering the rather humiliating loss on the tennis court during that one challenge. "But we'll keep an eye out for anything unusual, just in case."

Bane nodded in agreement.

* * *

Rehearsal went on as usual in the auditorium, with a few of the regulars even becoming really passionate about their roles. Niou recited his lines with great fervor, exaggerating his arm movements and occasionally accidentally smacking Atobe behind the head with the back of his hand.

"Oh, sorry, Atobe."

Atobe rubbed his scalp, glaring at the Rikkaidai player before finding the trickster with his arm around him.

"Romeo, what is this Juliet that you speak of? Has she the bosom of the most beautiful fair maiden in this world?"

"That's not the line!"

"Huh?" Niou blinked, holding up the script in the other hand. "Oh, oops."

"Get your arm off of me!" Atobe was feeling the weight of the Rikkaidai regular leaning further onto him.

"But I'm your best friend."

"No, you're not! Kabaji!"

"Usu."

Niou quickly backed away and held up his hands with his head held high at the massive size of the Hyotei regular approaching him. "Okay, okay, no reason to overreact."

Tezuka stood at the edge of the stage, his arms crossed. To everyone else, he was acting like the stern captain he is well known for in the tennis club - always strict, always stoic, and always silent (unless he's barking out orders and laps). But unbeknownst to everyone else, that morning, his sharp brown orbs were searching the large room, combing the corners and faces of each individual residing on stage. Tachibana and his sister were conversing with Momoshiro and Echizen. Oishitari and Yagyuu were practicing their glares with each other as heads of their respective households. Sanada, Yanagi, and Kirihara were helping two non-regulars lift up a large wooden board towards the side of the stage. Tomoka and Sakuno were checking on the fabric for the bed they would be preparing.

Wait, which scene was that bed being used for again?

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka blinked and glanced to his side, finding the sleepy, always cheerful Hyotei student standing beside him.

"Tezuka, how are you this morning?" Jirou asked with a sunny disposition, glancing up.

"Alright," Tezuka merely responded, returning his attention to the stage when a plate of cookies was suddenly held up before his face. His mouth opened halfway, wondering what these were.

"These are for you. I figured you've been having it hard lately, so I baked these chocolate chip cookies," Jirou cheered.

"Aa, thank you," Tezuka took the plate into both of his hands, staring at it with a small frown, slightly surprised.

"Enjoy!" Jirou skipped away, humming to himself.

"What are these?"

Tezuka glanced to his side to find the tensai who had just approached him smiling at him, his closed eyes staring at the plate of cookies in the bespectacled man's hands. "Fuji, I don't know what to do with these. I don't particularly like sweets."

"I know," the tensai chuckled. "But it looks like Jirou's taken a liking to you."

Tezuka looked at Fuji carefully. "I don't understand."

"That's so like you. Here, I'll take these," Fuji grabbed the paper plate, still smiling, and then leaned his head back to begin gulping down the cookies.

"F-Fuji! What are you doing? You'll get a stomachache!" Tezuka cried out in shocking horror, holding out his hand as he watched every last bite of the cookies disappear into the tensai's mouth. Within seconds, much too quickly, Fuji was done and sighed, the plate in his hand now empty.

"Hm, that was delicious. Could use some wasabi. Oh look, rehearsal is about to begin."

And before the stunned Tezuka could say anything, the tensai frolicked away happily, still smiling that same smile distinct to the always friendly tensai as Tomoka hollered into the megaphone for everyone to take their places.

* * *

That morning, while Seigaku's student council president made his daily rounds in the school and attended a short meeting with some of his council members, nothing out of the ordinary happened in the large auditorium. Everyone practiced their lines dedicatedly, and when break finally arrived, the regulars in the play all scattered about, eager to grab some fresh air. Atobe joined his team to head for the front entrance, wanting to sit outside on the sidewalk where he can be further admired by the girls in the school. Aoi grabbed a hold of Echizen, eager to have a quick friendly tennis match out on the courts, even though their break is relatively short. Sanada and Yukimura headed through the side exits alone, wanting to converse about their upcoming practices out on a rather empty lawn underneath the shade of trees.

Once outside, the strongest Rikkaidai pair sat on the ground and entered into a discussion, analyzing their team member's current stats, especially Kirihara, the youngest regular on the team. After a few minutes, the two decided to relax, letting the warm spring air grace their skins.

"It's a rather nice day, isn't it, Sanada," Yukimura smiled pleasantly, admiring the blue sky and small plots of white clouds floating high above them.

"Aa," Sanada responded, leaning with his back against the tree, his arms draped over his knees. That's when his eyes caught sight of the Buchou of Seigaku walking through the hallway indoors, his tall form passing by the various windows of the building as he made his rounds on checking up on the rest of the clubs.

"Tezuka seems to always be so busy," Yukimura remarked, also seeing the strict, bespectacled man through the windows of the school. "Not only does he have to prep and lead his team, he also has to serve his student council president duties during the interschool festival. He is definitely no ordinary man."

Sanada didn't say anything, his dark orbs following that tall frame before the Seigaku captain disappeared somewhere in the halls amongst the various pool of students.

"Sanada, you must be patient," Yukimura closed his eyes with a smile. "I know what you're thinking. You will get your chance."

The vice-captain let out a quiet sigh as he looked up at the sky. "Ever since that day," he began, remembering.

_6-0. _

_It wasn't just a loss. It was a humiliating loss. He stood there panting with his racket held in both hands, the beads of sweat dripping down his flushed face as he panted for breath. The boy before him stood there, firm, stoic brown orbs staring back with no emotion visibly shown. The racket held in that left hand, barely moving, as the ball lied quietly on the other side of the net. _

_6-0._

_How was it possible?_

_6-0._

_How was it possible that he, Sanada Genichirou, the tournament's runner-up, not just lose to a seemingly unknown, but also not even score a single point? His knees were on the verge of shaking, his arms were starting to feel sore, and his body was hot and sweaty. Dark eyes stared intently in shock at the young boy opposite of him, a young boy in glasses who barely broke out in a sweat at all. Even that unkempt lock of brown hair seemed to stay unusually in place. _

"_Sanada."_

_Sanada turned around, finding Yukimura behind him, smiling a rather curious interesting smile. _

"_Let me play him," the blue-haired boy grinned. _

"Even when he played against you, you two seemed to be on equal level," Sanada remarked calmly, opening his eyes to see the vast blue above him once more. "That man…Tezuka. I will defeat him one day."

Yukimura looked at Sanada as the vice-captain continued to watch the skies, his dark orbs lost in silent deep thought. The breeze was still that day, and even the birds seemed to have decided to retire for the hour. Against the silence, the profile of that dark-haired man emphasized a clear silhouette of one who cannot let go of something that has forever haunted him since years before. The blue-haired, Rikkaidai captain turned away and stared at nothing in particular. "Even now, even after all these years, more and more…" he looked up at the sky with a sad smile. "It seems you have even forgotten about me."

Sanada blinked and glanced to his side, finding his captain already standing up.

"Break is almost over, Sanada," Yukimura smiled. "Come. Let's go back."

"Hm," Sanada nodded, getting onto his feet before the two headed for the entrance back into the school building.

* * *

Meanwhile, Fuji walked through the long hallways, looking for a particular room as he passed by a group of girls who giggled and winked at him. He chuckled in good-hearted humor and smiled at them, receiving ear-piercing screams as a result. Turning a corner, he glanced up and saw the Rikkaidai captain and vice-captain heading in the opposite direction. He smiled and nodded at them, receiving a similar greeting in return as they walked past each other. Turning at another corner, he finally found the room he was looking for. Knocking on the door, he gently opened it and stepped into the dim lab room, discovering various flasks and glass containers filled with strange liquids on a table near the chalkboard.

"Inui," Fuji smiled, shutting the door behind him.

"Hm, Fuji," Inui removed the goggles he was wearing over his glasses, stepping away from the table. "What can I do for you?"

"Do you have them ready?" the tensai asked.

"Ah, yes," Inui went to his school bag, rummaging through it before pulling out a small maroon-colored velvet pouch. "They are ready."

Fuji took the pouch and opened it, dumping its contents into the palm of his hand. Out came two silver rings, with one noticeably larger than the other. He grinned and picked one up, reading the engraving on the inner ring: T & F. "These are perfect, Inui," he complimented sincerely.

Inui adjusted his glasses with a proud smile. "It took some time, but they came out well."

"Thanks for doing this. Oh, by the way, here's the payment." Fuji stuck his hands into his pocket and pulled out some cash, counting the bills before handing some over to the data collector.

"Ah, thank you," Inui counted the amount before putting the cash away in his school bag.

"So it looks like you can finally get the new lab equipment you've been wanting with the newly earned money," Fuji chuckled, putting the rings back into the pouch and stuffing the small bag into his pocket. "Is that enough for you to buy all that you need?"

"Oh, it is more than enough to buy what I need," Inui grinned slyly, a strange glint flashing across his large pair of glasses.

"I'm glad," Fuji nodded. "We better get back now, our break is about to be over. Don't want to be late."

"I'll finish up soon," Inui said, turning his attention back to the table of flasks and glass containers. "You go on ahead of me first."

"Okay," Fuji was about to open the door. "Oh, by the way, Inui, please, don't tell anyone about this. I want it to be a surprise."

Inui nodded. "I understand."

Fuji chuckled one last time before leaving the room, not noticing Inui jotting down more information in his notebook.

"Ii data."

* * *

Back in rehearsal, all actors took their respective places as the two main leads stood in the middle, ready to perform a rather pivotal scene that would be one of the highlights of the play. Except, rehearsal wasn't going as smoothly as it was before, and fortunately for Seigaku's student council president, he wasn't present to witness it.

"Atobe-san!"

Atobe cringed at the female's voice hollering annoyingly through the megaphone beneath the stage.

"You need to be more natural!" Tomoka shouted.

Atobe grumbled some inaudible unpleasant words as he took a deep breath and looked at Fuji, who continued to smile friendly before him.

A kissing scene…how on earth was he supposed to do this kissing scene with another man? On the sides of the stage, he could hear the snickers from a few of the Rikkaidai and Seigaku players who decided to give their full attention to the scene that was about to happen before them.

"Okay, so let's try this again," Tomoka continued. "Atobe, put your hand on Juliet's shoulders and look her straight in the eyes."

"First off, she is a he, and second of all, there are no eyes to look at!" Atobe complained, motioning at the tensai.

Tomoka sighed. "Fuji, will you open your eyes?"

"Hm, I will, when the moment is right," the tensai replied.

"Okay then. Now, let's begin. And, action!"

Atobe put both hands on those lithe shoulders and stared at the still closed eyes of the tensai smiling way too much. With strained lips, he slowly asked, "Will thou honor thee with a kiss?" He felt his fingers twitching, wanting to cringe, as he suddenly dropped his hands and groaned out loud in frustration.

"Atobe!"

"I can't do this! I can't kiss another guy!" Atobe shouted at the young director.

"We're not asking you to kiss Fuji for real," Tomoka announced. "You just have to pretend kiss. Kiss him on the cheek and use your hand to cover that area so that it looks like you're locking lips."

"Locking lips, PUHAHAHAHAHA!" Momoshiro and Echizen burst into laughter along with Niou and Marui, who were all snickering to each other behind the curtains.

Atobe shot them a death glare.

"Let's try this again, Atobe," Tomoka ordered.

"I told you, I can't do this!"

"I thought the great Atobe can do anything!" Tomoka challenged.

"The great Atobe does anything that doesn't make him look like a fool!"

The young freshman girl sighed in exasperation. "Okay, let's do this. Just…imagine that Fuji is a girl. A very beautiful girl. He looks feminine already, right? So, just pretend that Fuji is a girl, okay?"

Atobe sighed.

"And, action!"

The Hyotei captain placed his hands on Fuji's shoulders once more, taking a deep breath. Imagine Fuji as a girl? Hm, he should be able to do that. Sounds easy enough. He looked straight at that face and then froze, his heart nearly stopping. Clear, striking blue eyes now stared back at him, those stunning orbs mesmerizing him and stealing his breath away. Heart beating fast, Atobe narrowed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.

_Fuji is a girl. Fuji is a girl._

He furrowed his brows, staring into that face. Actually, it's true that Fuji does look feminine. He noted how those silky, hazelnut locks graced those soft tender milky cheeks. He saw long, curled eyelashes flutter every time they blinked against those unusually clear, bright blue eyes that pierced through his very soul. He felt underneath his two large palms those soft, slender shoulders so comforting that beads of sweat seemed to form on the sides of his temples.

Atobe swallowed the lump in his throat, feeling as though his mouth has gone dry. "Will though…honor thee with a kiss?" He slowly spoke, continuing to watch those strange crystal orbs that held his gaze in a euphoric, hypnotizing manner as he leaned forward inch by inch.

Time seemed to have stopped. Not a single noise could be heard in the still air.

And then, those lips. Those plump, pink inviting lips that seemed so warm, so luscious, so tempting, so…so…

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! I CAN'T DO THIS!" Atobe threw his hands into the air, grabbing his hair and crying out in agony as he walked away, flaying about dramatically in complete turmoil.

"Has Buchou…gone crazy?" Hiyoshi gaped, watching in shock along with his Hyotei comrades, who all stared in utter speechlessness at their captain now beginning to act as though he has gone completely insane since no one could discern a single word he was saying.

Everyone on stage remained stunned as they stared at the Hyotei captain continuing to blabber in some random jargon, leaving the tensai standing there looking rather confused at the strange scene before him while Atobe's maddening cries echoed throughout the auditorium.

* * *

Tezuka marched through the hallways rather adamantly in the school. He had checked the shower room of the clubhouse just minutes ago, and sure enough, there was a bar of soap missing in that very stall. He tightened his fists, rather agitated and on his wits end. This was definitely crossing the line, and he will not tolerate such behavior! Once he finds the perpetrator, he will make sure the individual, whether a he or she, takes full responsibility for his or her action and receives the proper punishment from the school. But then, that was another problem on Tezuka's mind. The bespectacled man was not keen on the idea of someone exposing his…relationship with Fuji. He was just not ready for something like that at the moment, and this just made the current situation worse. There's a possibility that the perpetrator may even use blackmail if he knew Tezuka's current mental state on the matter.

Tezuka stopped to rest in an isolated corner, rubbing the temples of his forehead. Did Saeki really not do it? Although he seemed the most likely suspect, Tezuka even found it hard to believe that the Rokkaku regular was the one behind all this. The whole matter does seem rather bizarre, and as Saeki pointed out to him earlier, it didn't fit his style. The bespectacled man sighed in frustration. The perpetrator sure chose a really bad time to add on the stress the student council president was already dealing with. But that won't change the fact that nothing scares Tezuka (except Fuji at times, but he doesn't count). Taking a deep breath, the tall Buchou decided to go back to the auditorium. He already finished his rounds with the school clubs, so he was looking forward to just taking a small break to watch the rehearsal and get his mind off of the morning's events. Surprisingly, Fuji was acting rather calm about the whole matter, but then, there was rarely anything that phases the tensai, who already has issues with playing tennis seriously.

Upon arriving in the large building, Tezuka gaped at finding what appears to be a delirious Atobe shouting out incomprehensible mayhem on stage.

"What has happened?" he asked on the ground floor.

"Hm, this is rather bothersome," Tomoka sighed next to him, not even sure how to explain this.

Meanwhile, Fuji saw Tezuka has arrived and waved with a smile from the stage.

Tezuka blinked, arms crossed, and silently stared back at the beaming tensai who continued to wave at him.

And then, a flash. No, not an actual flash, but an unsettling, startling flash that hit the pit of his chest like a dagger all of a sudden. Tezuka whirled around, scanning the room and the stage frantically. Who, what…? Students talked amongst themselves. Students worked on sewing. Students worked on constructing. There was nothing, nothing out of the ordinary. Absolutely nothing. But this did not deter Tezuka. The young man searched the room, eyes quickly observing the rows of seats and studying the faces of the people around him as he looked left to right, left to right. Something was up. Something was definitely up. He felt it. There was no mistaking it. Keenly aware of his surroundings and sensitive to the slightest movement, his heart was beating fast and his radar was going berserks.

Was he imagining things? No, his instincts had flared up. This was no false alarm. He glanced back up at the stage where Fuji continued to smile at him, waiting for his response.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes.

He felt it, he knew for sure he felt it. He felt it for a second. Something dark. Something unsettling. Something foreboding. And it was very, very strong.

The bespectacled man cautiously looked around him with serious, stern brown orbs that watched like a hawk. There was no doubt. The person responsible for the bar of soap is definitely in this room at that moment.

And he is watching them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rehearsal finally ended for the day, and everyone headed home except for the Seigaku club members, who began making their way to the clubhouse to change for tennis practice. Tezuka, however, stayed behind, along with Fuji and Oishi, as the three conversed backstage away from earshot.

"Are you sure, Tezuka?" Oishi asked, frowning.

"Aa, there is no doubt about it. Whoever saw us was in the room today. I could feel that person's presence." Tezuka glanced down at the floor, his arms crossed.

"Hm," Fuji furrowed his eyebrows with closed lids. "If that's the case, then that means it's someone we know most likely."

"Aa, and possibly from Hyotei or Rikkaidai."

"Hyotei or Rikkaidai?" Both Oishi and Fuji exclaimed.

Tezuka looked up at them. "Those were the only two schools who were there during practice. It is most likely them, although it is true I cannot rule out members from the other schools just yet."

"So you no longer suspect Saeki," Fuji chuckled humorously.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. "As I stated earlier, I _cannot_ rule out members from the _other _schools just yet."

"But Tezuka, that means you think it's another _guy_ who's going after Fuji?" Oishi asked, surprised. "I mean, well, yes, there was that incident with Saeki, but perhaps this time it's a girl. Maybe the secret admirer is someone on the girl's tennis team. They were practicing that day too, and they're right next to us!"

Fuji thought about this, his fingers resting on his chin. "Oishi, that may be true, but wouldn't the girl have done something long ago? I mean, it seems rather odd that she's suddenly picking this time of all times to make a move. The girl's tennis team has always been there near us, not that I mind."

"Fuji, you're not taking this seriously enough," Tezuka stated sternly.

"I don't think it's really anything that serious to worry about."

"Well, if it isn't someone on the girl's tennis team," Oishi quickly interrupted, "then that takes us back to our rival schools. But do you really think someone on Rikkaidai or Hyotei would pull something like that?"

"I can see which individuals would most likely pull such a prank," Fuji noted with an amusing smile. After all, those teams are filled with clever individuals.

"But we can't just narrow it down to them," Oishi argued. "I mean, if we're going to base our suspicions on who was there that day during practice, that would mean including Hyotei, Rikkaidai, and…" Here, Oishi trailed off as he felt his skin go cold at the warning gaze Tezuka was giving him.

Fuji, on the other hand, clearly knew already that Tezuka had considered that possibility even before Oishi brought all this up. He was also well aware of why the famous, strict Buchou, who is known for holding people accountable for their actions, was now hesitant about bringing up this particular subject matter. After all, it was quite obvious that the only other school that was there that day during practice…

…was Seigaku.

And that was a very unpleasant thought, at least for Tezuka, who cared deeply for his team and would never want to suspect any of his own teammates of such a rather tasteless prank, if it was a prank at all. The Seigaku captain put great faith and trust in the regulars, and his current stance on Oishi's suggestion was clearly showing that.

Oishi immediately backed away, ending his speech, as Tezuka began walking past him. "Practice is about to begin. We need to go change. It would be irresponsible of us to be late. Let's not get careless."

The vice-captain frowned, slightly chagrined as he watched Tezuka stroll ahead of them.

"It's okay, Oishi," Fuji comforted the taller man. "Tezuka is just stressed right now. And if anything, he really cares about everyone on the team as you can see," he smiled cheerfully.

Oishi blinked before returning a similarly warm smile. "Thanks, Fuji."

* * *

During practice that day, Oishi found himself reflecting on the events that had occurred earlier today. He was definitely troubled by the whole matter, not to mention slightly disturbed. Actually, slightly is an understatement. Who would steal soap from the showers and put it in someone's locker like that? Upon thinking about the showers, Oishi had felt compelled to ask Tezuka exactly which stall he was in since, well, just in case the stall hasn't been properly…cleaned up. Obviously that was a bad move, and Oishi didn't even need Tezuka to respond to know that he was lucky he wasn't assigned laps.

"Oishi, Nya~!" Kikumaru purred, jumping in front of the vice-captain to surprise him, except finding his partner barely flinch instead. He tilted his head and looked up with raised eyebrows, those cat-like eyes blinking curiously. "Oishi, what's wrong?"

"Oh, Eiji," Oishi responded. "Gomen, I didn't see you there."

Kikumaru questioned his friend's expression. "You look like you're worried. Ne, ne, what is Oishi worried about? Eiji can help cheer you up!" The acrobatic boy did a cartwheel before bouncing around the taller man excitedly.

Oishi chuckled and smiled warmly. "I'm all right, Eiji."

"Okay, nya~!"

Oishi laughed some more at the playful manner of the redhead before staring into those energetic eyes that looked at him expectantly. Kikumaru always looked adorable, and the vice-captain noted those cute expressions that his doubles partner likes to make. So adorable. Really adorable. In fact, he really wanted to hug Kikumaru tightly right now.

The image of the soap popped up in his mind.

And then, Oishi froze, gulping. Tezuka and Fuji were doing it in the showers…what if it had been…him and Kikumaru?

Oishi immediately glanced away in shock, face beat red at the thought as his friend blinked blankly at the taller man's sudden reaction. The vice-captain covered his mouth. Hugging Kikumaru…maybe he wanted to do more than that. Hm, the shower didn't seem to be a bad place.

"Oishi?"

"HYA!" Oishi nearly stumbled backwards in fright, surprising the other regular as well.

"Oishi, what's wrong?" the redhead frowned, watching the vice-captain now begin to get a hold of himself.

"Um, n-nothing, Eiji. Hehe," Oishi chuckled uncomfortably. "Break is over right now. Let's go back to our rallies."

Kikumaru blinked before breaking into a lively smile. "Hm, I'm going to beat you! Let's see who'll get there faster!" And thus, the redhead pranced away towards their previous court.

Oishi stared at his partner's back before lowering his head, hiding his blush. He really should stop letting his imagination get the best of him.

* * *

When practice ended, everyone returned to the locker rooms to change. The smell of murky humidity and sweat filled the air, but that was typical of the boy's locker room, which was always boisterous even after a long day of working out.

Echizen pulled a shirt over his head, complaining about the extra set of laps he had to run. "It's not my fault that you couldn't keep your mouth shut," he grumbled.

"Oi, Echizen, don't put all the blame on your senpai!" Momoshiro shot back, buttoning his own uniform. "You were just as loud."

"Well, it doesn't matter," Echizen snapped, giving his senpai an eyeful. "Because at the end, _I_ will win this bet."

"Fat chance," Momoshiro snickered, straightening his school uniform top. "We'll find out soon that the winner will be _me_."

"SHUT-UP ALREADY! PSHHHHH!" Kaidoh hissed, completely annoyed as he slammed his locker shut.

"Hey, you got a problem with me, Viper?" Momoshiro glared, sticking his face in his rival's.

"Damn right I got a problem with you, dumbass!" Kaidoh shook his fist.

"Who you calling a-"

"Momoshiro, Kaidoh, 20 laps tomorrow."

"….!" Both sophomores dropped their mouths before lowering their heads, occasionally throwing dirty looks at each other silently.

"You two bicker like an old couple," Fuji teased, chuckling as he buttoned his shirt next to Tezuka's locker.

"Fujiko!" Kikumaru suddenly dropped his whole body over Fuji's shoulder. "You're so mean! You never told me you were getting gifts from a secret admirer!"

"Eh?" Fuji blinked, surprised as everyone directed their attention to the pair. "What do you mean?"

"Ne, I heard all about it! And mo, that's scary what the admirer did, you know…" Kikumaru lowered his head to whisper into his best friend's ear.

Tezuka, who has ears like a hound, immediately shot an angry glance at Oishi across from him, who scratched his face ashamedly.

"G-g-gomen," the vice-captain apologized with an uneasy chuckle.

"Oi, Fuji-senpai, so you have an admirer?" Momoshiro grinned widely, clearly interested. "What do we have here?"

"Fujiko has been receiving gifts," Kikumaru declared.

"Oh, gifts?" the second-year raised his eyebrows.

"Well," Fuji sighed in good humor, knowing the cat's out of the bag. "Just some flowers and chocolates. Nothing else, really."

"Hm, that sounds interesting, doesn't it, Echizen?" Momoshiro glanced at the freshman, who only shrugged and lifted up his foot onto the bench to tie his shoelace.

"This is really important data," Inui joined them, pushing up the rim of his glasses as he opened his notebook.

"But it shouldn't be a surprise to everyone, I mean, Fuji's very popular among the girls," Kawamura chimed in.

"Who said it's definitely a girl?" Momoshiro smirked. "I mean, we all clearly know that Fuji does men too…." Here, the second-year let out an uneasy laugh with his hands held up in defense, backing away from the rather frightening glare he was receiving from his Buchou.

"Ne, but this is serious, I mean, it's actually scary," Kikumaru added, throwing out his arms exaggeratedly. "The admirer also gave soa-"

At this, Fuji immediately clasped his hand over his best friend's mouth just as both Tezuka and Oishi's eyes enlarged. "Um, what Eiji is trying to say, is that maybe the admirer is acting kind of…stalkerish, right now."

"Huh?" Momoshiro blinked, completely surprised. "What made you think that?"

Fuji released the redhead, seeing Kikumaru look up at him questioningly. "It's just that I haven't received gifts for a while now, so I didn't expect to suddenly get flowers and chocolates. Perhaps he or she is following me."

"Oh, okay," the second-year turned away, seemingly confused.

No one else spoke further on the matter. When only Tezuka, Oishi, Fuji, and Kikumaru were left, the tensai explained to his best friend how it'd be best to keep everything quiet for now while Oishi continuously apologized to Tezuka about being unable to keep his mouth shut around his doubles partner. After some more discussions and the decision to just be on their guards, the golden pair left the clubhouse first.

Tezuka picked up his tennis bag, throwing it over his shoulder as he waited for Fuji to join him. "Ready?"

"Hm," Fuji nodded cheerfully.

The two stepped out, locking the door behind them and about to continue on their path when they found an unexpected visitor standing a couple feet before them.

"Sanada," Tezuka blinked, surprised.

"Aa, Tezuka," Sanada spoke, still wearing his white buttoned shirt and striped tie, Rikkaidai's distinct uniform. "Can I have a word with you?"

Tezuka turned to Fuji, who nodded knowingly and walked away to stand by some trees where he would wait patiently. The Seigaku captain returned his attention to the vice-captain before him. "What is it, Sanada?"

"I apologize for coming this late, but I have a request."

Tezuka raised his head.

"I would like a match with you," Sanada stated.

Silence. The trees stayed still, their leaves reflecting the last rays of sunlight streaking across the darkening sky as two of the most powerful tennis players in the middle school world stood face to face underneath the dim orange hue above them. One could feel the stark tension camouflaged by the stillness that resided in the air.

Tezuka finally spoke. "I don't think it is appropriate for us to have an unauthorized match outside of the tournaments, given our positions."

"That is true," Sanada responded swiftly at that strict, serious wooden expression reflecting his own. "But I was hoping that we can make an exception."

"And what is the reason?"

Sanada lowered his gaze, a shadow falling across his face. "So that I can defeat you."

There was another pause.

"Oi, what are you two still doing here? It is late already!" Ryuzaki, the Seigaku coach, bellowed as she appeared out of nowhere feet away, her hands on her hips. "Do you know what time it is? And you there, aren't you from another school? Why are you here?"

Sanada bowed. "My apologies, Ryuzaki Sensei. I merely had something to ask of Tezuka. I will be going now." He made ready to leave. "Tezuka."

The Seigaku Buchou turned around.

"I will wait for your reply." And then he left.

The coach directed her attention to her bespectacled student. "Tezuka-kun, what was that all about?"

Tezuka tightened the strap on his bag, concentrating on his tennis equipment. "Nothing."

Ryuzaki raised her eyebrows suspiciously. "If there is anything, please remember, you can always come talk to me first." Although, she said that more as an order rather than an invitation.

"Aa," Tezuka merely replied before leaving to join Fuji.

Moments later, as the tensai walked alongside Tezuka on their home, he confessed that he had overheard the conversation. "What are you going to do, Tezuka?"

"I don't know."

Fuji opened his eyes, surprised. "You're not going to accept the challenge?"

"It is forbidden for us, especially someone in our positions on the team, to accept challenges outside of the tournaments."

Fuji chuckled. "But didn't we ourselves break the rule about club members not being able to play against each other unsupervised?"

Here, Tezuka stopped for a moment, remembering the time nearly three years ago when the tensai had approached him and asked to play a game with him. "That was…a long time ago." He continued walking.

Fuji giggled some more. He enjoyed knowing how the strict, obedient Buchou himself even breaks rules at times. And then, he grabbed Tezuka's hand, surprising the taller man. "Ne, want to come over today? Nee-san isn't home yet."

"Gomen, Fuji, but I have a lot of homework I need to catch up on."

The tensai sighed in disappointment. "I understand."

"Fuji."

Fuji glanced up at that serious face gazing down at him.

"I promise, when the interschool festival is finally setup, I will spend the whole day with you."

Those lips on the tensai curved into a wide grin as Fuji leaped forward and hugged the taller man, snuggling his face into that broad, strong chest. "I know."

* * *

Sanada made his way off the Seigaku campus, his hands stuffed in his pockets. The air was already starting to get chilly, not that he minded, and he noted how quickly he needed to get home just in time for dinner. His parents and grandfather were very strict, so being punctual was absolutely necessary in his family. At the same time, he observed the architecture of Seigaku's buildings, comparing them to his own school's. He had to admit, Seigaku is a rather nice school, but Rikkaidai will always be the best, and he and his team will make sure that it stays that way. Their reputation is unsurpassable, with the only other school worthy of possibly having the same caliber being Hyotei, although he can't say the same about their captain. Sanada looked up, remembering those eyes. Bold and strong, just as they were three years ago that time on the court. Turning a corner, he got onto a sidewalk when he found, much to his surprise, Yukimura sitting patiently on a bench with his legs and arms crossed.

"Yukimura," he stopped.

"I thought I'd find you here, Sanada," the blue-haired captain eyed him closely. "A challenge?"

Sanada noticed the serious look on the other man's face. It was a look that Yukimura only shows when he is ready to finish an opponent on the courts. Sanada glanced away. "It is nothing."

"You never asked for my approval," the strongest tennis player of Rikkaidai slowly stood up, emitting his presence. "As your captain, I do believe you are required to go through me first for permission."

Sanada, although always stern and serious, found himself feeling slightly chagrined as he continued to look away from those eyes bearing down heavily on him. "Gomen, Yukimura."

"Let's go. We will discuss this later," the captain ordered.

The two walked alongside each other in silence, staring at the ball of light just about to set on the horizon. To everyone else, it was normal to see this powerful duel together, whether it be after school, on the way to class, during practice, and even before matches. They were two of the most feared in the tennis world, having dominated the nationals in the past two years, and they plan on continuing to do so during their final year. Together. Even now, on this supposedly ordinary day on another school campus, one could clearly see the unique strong presence emitting from the two. However, neither spoke much at the moment.

Yukimura looked up and noticed far ahead of them two other individuals walking in their school uniforms - two individuals who were probably just as equally feared in the tennis world. He saw the back of those disheveled brown locks on the tallest male, who was listening to the shorter one next to him converse with him inaudibly. The Rikkaidai captain lowered his gaze. Deep, ocean gray eyes sharpened with a silent glint as the sun disappeared into the horizon.

* * *

That evening, Tezuka sat at his desk and concentrated on his assignments, swiftly answering all the questions and finishing up his essay. Occasionally, he would look up at the velvet pouch that sat neatly on the surface next to his books. It was a rather well-made pouch, and he noted the intricate details that must have gone into weaving such a craft. He grabbed the pouch and emptied out its contents, feeling the two rings glide fluidly into his palm. He stared at the silver bands that occasionally glistened underneath the desk lamp, the only light in the room. And then, he put the rings back into the pouch and continued with his homework. At around 8 o'clock, his cell phone went off. "Moshi moshi."

"Tezuka."

The bespectacled third year paused at that unexpected familiar voice. "Atobe."

"Ah, yes, I believe this is a good time to call."

"How did you get this number?"

"That is not important," the Hyotei captain waved it off nonchalantly over the phone. "I have much more pertinent matters to talk about," he smiled.

Tezuka sighed, albeit clearly, into the receiver. "What is it, Atobe?"

"Remember this, Tezuka," Lips curved invisibly into a confident grin. "No one else is allowed to defeat you, because _I_ will be the one to defeat you."

_Click._

Tezuka stared at the phone in his hand, hearing the silence before setting the phone to the side. For a few seconds, he sat there, not moving as his eyes continued to gaze at the cell phone screen. And then, he hunched over and rubbed his temples with a groan. Deciding to take a break, he stepped away from his desk and walked across the room, sitting at the edge of the bed next to the wall. Peering out the window, he noted the streetlights that illuminated the dim sidewalk on the street. He remembered the days back then when Fuji would constantly wait outside his house to walk with him to school in the morning. Now, the tensai didn't do that as much, given Tezuka's unpredictable schedule. The bespectacled student council president found himself slightly missing that.

And then, a sudden movement.

Tezuka's eyes shot wide open. He stood up, staring down the window at the shadows in the road. The houses on the street laid still, and neither the cars nor the trees stirred.

Everything was quiet.

The bespectacled man took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes before putting them back on. The tall lamps continued to light up the street with a dim hue, the dark night surely normal like any other night of the week. Breathing out silently, he decided to retire from the window to go back to his school work. Strange, he thought he saw something just now.

* * *

The next morning, the Seigaku student council president headed on the sidewalk towards the auditorium, his school bag and tennis equipment still hanging over his shoulders. He had some urgent matters to attend to earlier, and did not have the time to stop by his locker, so he decided to wait until break to drop off his belongings when he caught sight of a student sleeping soundly on the bench. Stopping right next to it, he glanced down, his large shadow hovering over the young man.

Jirou stirred, feeling a strong presence around him when he slowly opened his eyes and yawned, focusing his vision on the figure before him. "Oh, good morning, Tezuka!" He greeted cheerfully.

"Aa, morning."

"By the way, I was hoping I'd run into you because I got you this." Jirou rummaged through his bag next to him and pulled out a clear, plastic bag filled with brownies. "I just baked these last night, so they're still fresh."

The bespectacled man slightly gaped, staring at the bag nicely tied with a pink ribbon at the top. "Thank you," he said stoically, accepting the brownies.

"Well, I gotta' run on ahead first. Atobe wanted us to meet earlier this morning, and I'm already late! See ya'!" he waved with both hands before quickly running into the auditorium, leaving the Seigaku captain staring rather dumbfounded.

"Oi, Buchou is even popular around guys," Momoshiro quietly laughed along with Echizen, the two having just arrived and witnessed the scene a couple feet away from them.

"Momoshiro, Echizen, 20 laps at practice," Tezuka said without turning around.

The two younger regulars gaped before hanging their heads low with a sigh and dragging themselves dejectedly towards the auditorium for rehearsal. They had forgotten about Tezuka's sharp sense of hearing.

Meanwhile, the Seigaku captain continued to stare at the bag in his hands. This is a problem. He doesn't like sweets.

"What did you get today?"

Tezuka nearly flinched at the sudden appearance of the tensai walking up next to him. "Aa, Fuji. I don't know what to do with these. They look too sweet."

Fuji beamed and took the bag away from those large hands. "Don't worry, Tezuka. You can give these to me."

"Fuj-" Tezuka didn't have a chance to finish his sentence as he watched the tensai immediately undo the ribbon, open the bag, and dump all the brownies into his mouth at once.

Upon successfully emptying the bag, Fuji glanced at Tezuka with hamster-like cheeks of brownies, smiled, chewed and chewed, and swallowed every last bite before letting out a sigh. "Hm, that was delicious."

The bespectacled man nearly felt sick just watching the whole thing. "Fuji, eating that many sweets at once is bad for you. You already ate those cookies from yesterday. It is dangerous. You can get a stomachache!"

Fuji opened his blue eyes, those piercing orbs staring coyly into brown ones. "Ne, Tezuka, are you saying you're worried about me?"

Tezuka gulped at those watchful, striking eyes and subtly looked away. "Sweets are not good for your health. Come, let's go." He began walking towards the auditorium.

"Ne, Tezuka, wait up!" Fuji quickly made to run when he suddenly found his face planted against Tezuka's back. Rubbing his nose, he looked up questioningly when he saw the bespectacled man seemingly gazing out into the distance. "Tezuka?"

"Aa, nothing." He continued walking.

* * *

That morning, rehearsal went on as usual, with Tomoka barking out orders into the megaphone, earning the usual chuckle from her tennis club captain, who was amused by how bossy the young freshman has become. But Atobe was one who was definitely not amused, and he constantly found himself head to head with the first year who was starting to drive him insane.

"Ne, Monkey King, are you developing a man crush on Fuji-senpai too? Hahaha," Momoshiro yelled out from the back of the stage, receiving threatening glares in return as he continued to mock the Hyotei captain. And then, noticing his favorite freshman on the floor hammering away at the board, he nudged the first year playfully. "Echizen, did you see his expression that time?"

But the first year only gave a small growl of frustration as he stopped, set the hammer down on the floor, and held up his hands. Large green eyes stared at fingers that were all bandaged around the tips and sides. "Stupid bet," he uttered.

"Ochibi, what happened to your hands?" Kikumaru stopped by, bending over.

"Looks like the famous tennis prodigy of Seigaku is not so great at everything, especially craftsmanship," Saeki walked by, smirking with a raised eyebrow.

Echizen stared at the Rokkaku senior blankly before remarking, "And it looks like the famous senior of Rokkaku known for being able to detect the motions of his opponents beforehand is not very good at tennis."

"Eh?" Saeki's face was smeared as Kikumaru doubled over in laughter along with Momoshiro.

"Okay, everyone, let's take our breaks! Be back in twenty!" Tomoka finally hollered over the megaphone as everyone immediately began dispersing, eager for the rest.

"Jirou!" Atobe called out as his teammates gathered around him near the front of the stage. "We're hungry. Where are the brownies?"

"The brownies?" Jirou repeated blankly.

Still behind the stage, Momoshiro nudged Echizen again, whispering excitedly, "Oh, this is going to be good. How is Atobe going to feel that his own teammate is crushing on his own crush?"

"Yes, the brownies! Dumb block, where are they? You said you would bring us some," Atobe bellowed.

A suddenly realization of horror overcame the sleepy Hyotei regular, for he had completely forgotten about making extra brownies last night for his very own team. And now he was on the brink of suffering the wrath of the great Hyotei King. "U-um, I'll be right back!" He immediately turned and ran in the other direction, leaving Atobe gaping and calling out to him vainly. Jirou ran into the first year Sakuno, who nearly fell back at the presence of the rather cute looking senior. "Ne, gomen, can you tell me where your home economics classroom is?"

"Ano…" the young girl stammered, blushing at the cute boy before uttering the directions rather poorly.

"Thank you," Jirou threw a charming smile, unnoticeably making the girl blush even more as he ran fast out of the side doors, bumping against Sanada, who stumbled and glared for almost being knocked over by what he considered a lowly regular compared to his level.

Grumpily, the Rikkaidai vice-captain straightened himself and returned his attention to the front, just in time to see Tezuka step down the small stairs from the stage on the side. "Tezuka."

Tezuka glanced up. "Aa, Sanada."

"Regarding my request yesterday, will you accept?"

The bespectacled man paused.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji stepped in, unknowingly interrupting the conversation. "Ready to go?"

Sanada watched as the tensai adjusted the straps of his bag and glance up eagerly with a smile at the taller man next to him. Dark, black orbs continued to observe those mysterious eyes that nearly always stayed closed, just as he witnessed in the matches he had occasionally attended when Seigaku competed. And then, the tensai noticed the Rikkaidai regular standing in front of them.

"Oh, Sanada," Fuji spoke.

"Tezuka, I can receive your reply later." He promptly turned around and left, leaving the Seigaku pair alone.

Fuji addressed Tezuka. "Ne, did you accept yet?"

The serious, bespectacled Buchou sighed. "I have some things to consider."

The tensai grinned cheerfully. "Well, in the meantime, let's go to the locker room. I forgot to drop off my things this morning too."

On their way to the other building, the perfect pair found themselves occasionally receiving some bashful glances from the girls in the hallways before finally reaching the locker room, where they ran into Oishi, who was looking for Kikumaru.

"Gomen, I'm not sure where Eiji went," Fuji responded as he proceeded to open his locker. "Have you checked his classroom-Oh!"

Tezuka arrived right behind the tensai, almost expecting it as he watched the shorter boy take out three incredibly large roses bunched together by a ribbon. "My my, they even took the time to de-thorn them. Look at the stems – they're clearly cleaned and smoothed out-" Like before, Tezuka immediately snatched the roses from Fuji's hands and tossed them into the trashcan. Fuji didn't even bother to protest this time, sighing, "Mo, they went through all that trouble to remove the thorns."

"Fuji, this isn't funny," Tezuka scolded as he opened his own locker.

Oishi frowned. "I have to admit, it does seem wasteful to throw away such roses." And then, he glanced up upon noticing something strange in the air. "Tezuka?"

Tezuka was staring at his locker, his hand slowly reaching in to pull out a piece of paper.

Both Oishi and Fuji looked at each other and quickly joined the serious Buchou as they peered over his large arms and read the note.

_Stay away from Fuji._

The vice-captain felt the air turn cold, the chills trickling down his spine as his eyes enlarged at the message. The note seemed to be torn out of a small notepad, the words written rather hastily in black ink, but the penmanship was unrecognizable. "Tezuka, this…"

Tezuka swiftly and calmly tore the piece of paper into pieces, his demeanor wooden and stoic as he dumped the torn note into the trash. And then, dropping off some of his school supplies, he shut his locker and proceeded to walk out when he stopped at the door and glanced over his shoulder. "We still need to visit the clubhouse. Why are you two still standing there?"

Both Fuji and Oishi, who were staring rather confoundedly, glanced at each other before silently finishing up their business and following Tezuka out the door.

* * *

It was back to rehearsal again, and despite the stoic manner of the famous Buchou of Seigaku, Fuji could clearly see that Tezuka was on edge. As he practiced his lines, the tensai would occasionally steal a glance at the bespectacled student council president, finding those watchful eyes either focused intently on him or scanning the room like a hawk, and the tensai knew just what Tezuka was searching for. Unfortunately, it made it rather difficult for him to say his lines, as he was constantly distracted and would stumble over his words, surprising even Atobe. In fact, Fuji found himself sighing much more than usual. It's not that he didn't care about what has been happening lately. It is true it is hard for him to take anything seriously. Honestly, there was only one thing that he would be serious about, and that was his love for Tezuka. With that thought, he remembered the velvet pouch with the rings, the item now sitting safely back in his room at home on his bed. The thought of proposing to Tezuka made him giggle quietly inside. He wondered how the always serious, robotic man would feel. Perhaps he should propose during sex.

"Ahem," Atobe crossed his arms, waiting for Fuji to recite his lines.

"Oh, gomen," the tensai apologized, continuing as his mind still wondered about the note in Tezuka's locker earlier today. It was rather unsettling, but because nothing really dangerous has happened yet, Fuji figured it wasn't one to waste ones time worrying about. It was most likely some tasteless harmless prank, and if anything, no admirer or anyone will be able to separate him from Tezuka. He belonged to Tezuka, and Tezuka to him.

"Okay, let's take another short break," Tomoka shouted. "Be back on time!"

Everyone scattered from the stage once more as Atobe joined his Hyotei team on the side. "Oi, has that blockhead not returned yet?"

"Gomen!" Jirou huffed at the entrance, having just arrived with a large baking pan in his hands. "I'm sorry for missing rehearsal just now, but these took longer than I thought!"

Atobe gaped as he and his team watched in amazement their teammate run down the aisle, nearly stumbling over his own footing before reaching their end of the room.

"Here," he held out the pan towards them. "These are freshly baked."

All leaned in on the lovely aroma. "Oh, these smell really good," Mukahi hovered over the pan.

"I say we eat now," Ohtori drooled eagerly at the brownies.

"Hmph," Atobe huffed. "You idiot. You didn't have to go bake them now if you had forgotten!" he scolded. "That was a total waste of time. We're not even hungry anymore-WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?" the Hyotei captain glared at his team who all had brownies already stuffed into their mouths, chewing in mouthfuls like starving chipmunks.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the stage, Fuji was conversing with Tachibana, who he had grown to become close friends with.

"If you have some time, I can also show you where to get the grip tape I got for my racket," Tachibana offered.

"Hm, that sounds good," Fuji nodded.

"By the way, I don't mean to sound rude, but, Tezuka seemed to be rather…agitated today."

"Oh?"

"I mean, I can understand, given the amount of responsibilities he has. Our own student council president looks like he's about to have a mental breakdown at times. But, during rehearsal, I can't help but notice he seems to be …preoccupied with something. Is everything all right?"

"Hm, he just has a lot on his mind with the festival and all," Fuji smiled. Secretly, he sighed. He needs to get Tezuka to relax more. Perhaps a hand job would do. In fact, the tensai felt an itch to devour the uptight male very, very soon.

Speaking of which, just below the stage, the bespectacled student council president was observing the room some more, his head darting left to right. He could feel his nerves being pushed. It was like there was a pair of eyes constantly following him, or was he being paranoid? Tezuka furrowed his brows. Whoever was pulling this prank was definitely going to take responsibility.

"Tezuka."

Tezuka blinked and looked down to find the sleepy energetic and easily excitable Hyotei regular beaming at him.

"We have some more leftover brownies that I baked just now. These are fresh," Jirou offered the pan that was almost completely empty. "You can have some more to eat."

Tezuka stared at the pan as he slowly took it into his hands. "Um, thank you."

"Chow," Jirou winked before prancing away.

There was some crackling, and the Seigaku Buchou saw out of the corner of his eye Momoshiro and Echizen stifling their laughter in a corner. He let out a quiet sigh.

"Looks like you got some more sweets."

Tezuka turned to find Fuji approaching him. "Aa, Fuji. Maybe I should just finish these instead since you already-"

"Nonsense." Fuji gracefully took the pan and, with a smile, scooped up all the leftover brownies in one hand and stuffed them into his mouth.

The bespectacled man felt nauseated as he watched more brownies disappear down Fuji's throat. If he was one to show emotions, his face would clearly exhibit disgust. "Fuji, you really don't have to finish them for me. I can always take them home and put them in the fridge to eat the rest slowly myself."

"It is not a problem," Fuji mumbled, swallowing the last few bites before sighing. "Hm, these are delicious too. Freshly baked."

Tezuka has always been stunned by the tensai's idiosyncratic tastes, such as Fuji's tendency to put wasabi on everything. And yet, he still continues to be surprised by new discoveries of Fuji's iron stomach, which can even withstand most of Inui's special drinks.

"All right, everyone, return to your places! Break is over!" Tomoka ordered, bellowing into the megaphone once more.

"Fuji," Tezuka began. "I need to go make my rounds around the school, but I also have a meeting with the student council at lunch today, so I won't be able to join you."

The tensai nodded. "I'll see you at practice today then."

* * *

Lunch has taken on a new meaning at Seigaku. It was no longer just a time for everyone to get away from classes and lectures, or to have the chance to laugh and gossip with friends. It was now a time for everyone to escape the current horridness of constant stress, uncooperative peers, and meeting deadlines for the interschool festival. But for Echizen, it was a wonderful break from hearing all the cheesy lines he has to endure all morning. He didn't care much for Shakespeare, nor any classical romantic dramas for that matter, and at times he found himself cringing at the lines the Monkey King was spewing during rehearsal. Thus, lunch was a breather for the freshman, who was taking a solitary stroll by himself through the grassy lawn as he held up his hands. Frowning, he noted the bandaged fingers that still felt sore. In fact, he felt rather stupid having these bandages on him. He wondered if this would actually be annoying during tennis practice today.

Suddenly, Echizen heard some odd sounds, and he blinked and headed in the direction of the noise throug the bushes, passing by some trees before arriving at the public fountain where he often goes to rinse his face during breaks at practice. There, hunched over the sink underneath the running faucet, was the tensai hurling rather loudly. The hazelnut-haired boy reached up a hand slowly to turn off the faucet, stopping the water before sighing.

"Fuji-senpai?"

Fuji raised his head, pausing for a moment, and then looked over his shoulder, revealing a rather pale face. He smiled meekly. "Ne, what are you doing here?"

Echizen gaped at how terribly green Fuji looked. "Fuji-senpai, are you all right?"

The tensai turned away, still smiling rather weakly as he stared at the fountain. "I'm…okay." And then, unexpectedly, he hurled again into the sink, throwing his head downward and turning on the faucet as the running water washed away the contents. Burping, he turned the knob shut, coughing and gasping deeply.

Echizen blinked at this, watching his senpai silently drape his head over the sink. And then, the young freshman smirked. "Is Fuji-senpai…jealous?"

The question threw the tensai off, and for a moment, the third year stood there hunched over the sink, unmoving. After a few seconds, the hazelnut-haired regular gazed over his shoulder, a strange smile on his face as piercing blue eyes appeared. "Do you mind repeating that, Echizen?"

Every inch of hair flinched and turned white on the first year, his blood gone cold as he trembled at the frightening, dark aura slowly gathering around the tensai, who was grinning widely with bits and pieces of brownies falling from the corners of his mouth. "F-Fuji-senpai, I think I hear Momo-senpai calling me." And within an instant, the cocky freshman bolted out of there in a flash, escaping with his life still intact.

Fuji stared for a moment before returning his attention to the sink and rinsing his face off underneath the running water. Wiping his mouth, he leaned up for a moment, felt that nauseating feeling rise again, and threw his head back into the cavern to release some more as the sound of water camouflaged the unpleasant sounds and trickled down the drain. Luckily, the cool, crisp liquid washed over his head refreshingly. It was a wonderful relief. Gasping, he breathed in deeply and dried himself with his shirt when he suddenly felt his heart throb loudly once. The tensai shot up, and he whirled around. "Echizen?"

No response.

Furrowing his eyebrows as droplets trickled down his wet cheeks, he slowly turned his head, sharp, piercing blue eyes scanning the area.

The bushes were still.

The trees were quiet.

The grass stayed unmoved.

There was no one else there for all he can see.

Fuji eyed his surroundings slowly, suspiciously, crystal clear orbs moving at a careful pace around him while soaked hazelnut locks continued to drip. That friendly masked smile was gone, replaced by one of a predator scouting for an unknown prey in the jungle. The normally playful, carefree tensai was definitely serious now as his instincts alerted him and he narrowed his eyes.

He is being watched.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi All! To answer some of your questions about clues and hints, I have been dropping a lot of clues in the last few chapters. And um, I guess the person who guesses it right at the end will get...imaginary virtual cookies? :) **

* * *

Chapter 8

Tezuka took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before returning to his homework at hand. He filled out the problems on the sheet meticulously, checking and double checking each question. As usual, he strove for perfection and excellence; as the model student and student council president, he has a lot to uphold. He cannot afford to be careless and let his guard down, whether it be in tennis or in school. He glanced up momentarily to look at the clock.

9:30PM.

Soon, it would be time to prepare to go to bed. And then it would be another long grueling day of interschool festivals duties.

That's when his cell phone rang. Tezuka answered the call.

"Moshi moshi."

There was a brief silence.

His eyes peered at the receiver closely. "Moshi moshi," he repeated.

Again, no answer.

He hung up the call and set it to the side, only to have the phone ring again just seconds later. Rather annoyed, he answered the phone gruffly this time. "Who is this?"

There was no response. Instead, there was the sound of deep breathing that was almost barely audible. Tezuka remained still, listening to the faint sound.

"If this is a prank, I will report you to the school." He hung up. Going back to his homework at his desk, he proceeded to answer another problem when his cell phone rang again. Irritated, he grabbed the object and tossed it across the room onto his bed, where the ringtone continued to blare until it finally went silent. Suspicious, Tezuka got up from his desk and walked across the room to peer out the window. The neighborhood laid still, with the same streetlights continuing to illuminate the sidewalk, pronouncing the shadows cast by the cars and bushes and houses that lined alongside the road. For a minute, he remained in that position. And then, narrowing his eyes, he stepped back and glanced down at his bed, where the phone remained silent for the rest of the night.

* * *

Fuji sat on the bench outside the auditorium the next morning, his eyes rather dim and mellow than usual. He leaned on his elbow, waiting, as he observed the trees on the lawn. The sky was clear that day with not a single cloud above, and the temperature was very agreeable. Even the sun was generous with its warm rays, despite the time of season. Occasionally, he would be greeted by some of the regulars who walked passed him to enter the building, and he would put on his infamous smile to greet them as well before returning to his current quiet state.

"Ne, Fujiko," Kikumaru frowned, sitting beside him on the bench. "What's wrong? You look like there's something on your mind."

Fuji chuckled and smiled at his favorite redhead. "It's nothing. I'm just tired 'cause it's so early in the morning."

Kikumaru blinked. "Hm? But Fuji, I rarely see you tired ever, especially in the morning. You always look like this." The acrobatic boy tugged on the corners of his own lips into an exaggerated smile, imitating the tensai.

Fuji blinked before breaking out into a hearty laugh. "Eiji, you amuse me."

"Yeah, I cheered Fuji up again, nya!" Kikumaru jumped up, throwing his arms out in victory. "But I have to go now. Oishi said he wanted to talk to me about something, so I'm going to go inside first."

Fuji nodded and watched the redhead skip away lightly, humming to himself happily. And then, the tensai returned to his previous mood, looking rather bored and uninterested. He turned to his left, staring at the empty sidewalk while leaning on his elbow, waiting. And waiting. And waiting. He thought about yesterday when he was washing his face at the public fountain. His senses were just as sharp as Tezuka's, and he definitely felt that there was someone watching him. Admittedly, it felt a little creepy, but at the moment, there was something else more pressing on his mind.

Fuji watched as Tezuka finally appeared, walking in that same, serious stern manner towards the auditorium. So proud. So strong. So dignified. And right on cue, the young Hyotei regular popped out from behind a tree and approached the Seigaku Buchou. Although they were still rather far away from Fuji, the tensai could at least make out the exchanges in the conversation. Half-lidded blue orbs closely watched Jirou take out a clear plastic bag of, not doubt, freshly baked muffins. The easily amused Hyotei third year scratched the back of his head with a slight bashful inaudible chuckle, mouthing some words. Blue eyes watched as the tall, bespectacled student council president took the bag of muffins and nodded a thank you. The tensai closely observed this scene in silence, his face retaining the same seemingly dull look.

_Why do you accept it?_

The Hyotei regular laughed some more away from earshot, his expression one of eagerness shown at the taller man.

_Why do you accept it?_

The Seigaku Buchou glanced down at the bag of muffins with the same stoic face.

_Why do you accept it?_

Jirou took Tezuka's other hand into both his own, shaking it once in gratitude before prancing away, closer and closer he came, running right by Fuji. Blue orbs honed in on that cheerful face of the bushy-haired boy for what seemed to last for minutes instead of seconds before the Hyotei regular disappeared into the building.

Fuji stood up, smiling his infamous smile, as Tezuka finally came within a few feet of him. "Tezuka, morning."

"Aa, Fuji," Tezuka greeted in his usual monotonous manner.

Fuji's eyes immediately directed themselves to the bag of muffins in Tezuka's hand. "Oh, it looks like you got another gift from Jirou." He reached out and took the bag.

"Fuji, you don't-"

"Ne, I'll take care of this." Without a moment of hesitation, Fuji undid the bag and began stuffing the muffins swiftly into his mouth, swallowing them one by one within seconds before sighing deeply with a smile.

Tezuka blinked before deciding against making any comments. "Let's go in now. It is almost time for rehearsal."

Fuji nodded, and as Tezuka took a step forward towards the building, the tensai followed behind when he suddenly stopped. The hazelnut-haired boy grimaced, closing his eyes and subtly bending over to hold his stomach. _Stupid muffins._

"Fuji?"

The tensai beamed, his hands held behind his back. "Yes, Tezuka?"

The taller man blinked, carefully watching the third year smiling innocently. Not finding any changes, he turned back around. "Stop stalling. We can't let our guard down."

"Hm," Fuji nodded, and the two went on to rehearsal.

* * *

"With love's light wings did I o'er-perch these walls; For stony limits cannot hold love out, and what love can do that dares love attempt; Therefore thy kinsmen are no let to me," Atobe recited, his hand held out as one covered his heart.

"If they do see thee, they will murder thee," Fuji replied.

"Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye, than twenty of their swords: look thou but sweet…"

As Atobe continued, the tensai's eyes slowly diverted to the left off stage where the tall, strict bespectacled man stood with his arms crossed in his usual captain stance. "I would not for the world they saw thee here." His crystal blue eyes watched the same Hyotei regular from earlier approach the stern student council president towards the front, conversing with him some more.

"Fuji."

Fuji blinked and noticed Atobe giving him a strange look.

"It's your line," the Hyotei captain stated.

"Oh, gomen. By whose direction found'st thou out this place?"

Blue eyes cleverly peered out of the corners.

Jirou continued to talk to the stoic male.

Fuji tried to concentrate on his lines.

Jirou smiled widely and openly at Tezuka, taking a step forward closer.

The tensai's eye twitched as a nerve threatened to pop.

It's not that Fuji's jealous at all. Of course not. Why would he be jealous? Tezuka is one of those people anyone can trust no matter what. He is a model good man with high morals and strict self-discipline, always stringent about upholding his beliefs and ethics. Thus, one would never have to worry about Tezuka Kunimitsu walking off on the wrong road and having a relationship with someone else. Why, that would be absurd. But dammit, it doesn't mean he should go on willingly accepting gifts so easily like that!

The tensai watched as the bespectacled man took a thermo mug of, no doubt, a specially made warm drink from the sleepy, happy Jirou himself. The Hyotei third year grinned warmly before prancing off, leaving the stoic man to stare at the mug with a confused look.

_Tezuka, sometimes you can act like a real oblivious blockhead!_

"Fuji!"

"Oh, huh, sorry, what?" Fuji blinked, noting Atobe's rather impatient face before him.

"Line!"

"Um. By whose direction found'st thou-"

"We just did that one."

"Oh."

Tomoka sighed loudly from off the stage as she watched this before saying into the megaphone, "Fuji, do you prefer us taking a break now? You seem rather distracted."

Fuji chuckled uneasily as a small tear drop appeared on the side of his temple. "That's fine. My apologies."

"Okay then. Break everyone!"

Fuji stood there, looking rather ashamed of his poor performance today as everyone began to scatter for break. It was not like him.

"Fuji."

The tensai looked up at the Hyotei captain who addressed him, an unusual yet distorted look of concern on his face.

"You seem out of it than usual. Are you feeling all right?"

Fuji put on his bright smile. "Hm, I'm fine. But please excuse my performance just now."

Atobe watched the tensai closely before glancing away. "Okay. Kabaji! Get me water."

"Usu."

As the Hyotei captain walked off, Fuji turned around and headed for the small stairs, walking down the steps before meeting with Tezuka on the ground floor.

The bespectacled man turned around in surprise. "Aa, Fuji. What happened there? You recited your lines poorly."

Fuji gave an uncomfortable chuckle at that same, serious face. "Sorry to disappoint."

"This is a very important play, and you have a major part. Just remember, let's not get careless."

The tensai lowered his head. "Y-yea…" His blue eyes darted to the mug in his hand. "By the way, what's that?"

Tezuka blinked and glanced down. "Aa, this is apparently steamed chocolate milk. Much too sweet for me."

"I'll take that for you."

"Fuji!"

The tensai blinked in surprise as Tezuka immediately pulled his hand away with the mug.

"Fuji, you are going to ruin your stomach. You must not have too many sweet things."

Fuji furrowed his eyebrows, his smile becoming strain. "Then do you plan on drinking that yourself?"

"This, I wouldn't mind doing so."

The tensai's eyes flickered open, and before Tezuka could say anything more on the matter, Fuji had swiftly taken the mug away from his hand and downed the whole drink. On afterthought, this would've been a bad move, Fuji silently considered, for had the chocolate milk been steaming hot, he could've scalded his throat. Luckily, the chocolate milk was more lukewarm than anything.

"Fuji! You could've burned your throat!" Tezuka scolded, echoing the tensai's very thoughts.

But Fuji only finished gulping down the drink before wiping his mouth and sighing with a satisfied smile. "Hm, that was good."

Tezuka felt like he was going to be sick watching Fuji empty that mug so easily. How can the tensai have so many sweets in one day? The very thought made his stomach churn. And then, one of the student council members suddenly appeared before them, clearly out of breath.

"Gomen, Tezuka Kaichou, but it would seem that we have an issue with one of the club's booths. Can you come with me? This may take a while to deal with," the young second year panted, leaning on his knees for support.

Seeing the urgency in the matter, Tezuka turned to Fuji and said, "Gomen, Fuji, but it looks like I won't be able to have lunch with you again today."

Fuji only smiled and nodded understandingly.

Without another word, the bespectacled student council president left with the second year. And then, the tensai went over to a chair in the front row and leaned on it, his hand clasped over his mouth at the slight nauseating feeling in his stomach while his other hand still held onto the mug. His face turned into a grimace. Just how much longer does he have to keep this up?

"Fuji?"

The tensai immediately stood up straight and turned, the same smile plastered on.

Jirou blinked. "Ano…" The mug was suddenly held out straight right in front of his face before him. The Hyotei regular blinked some more.

"I believe this belongs to you. Tezuka asked me to return it to you."

"Oh, he finished it already-" Before Jirou could end his sentence, the empty mug was left right in his hand, and he turned to glance over his shoulder as he watched the smiling tensai already walk right pass him in a flash.

* * *

During their second short break at rehearsal, Fuji quickly went to his locker in the other building, rushing through the hallway before arriving at his destination. Wanting to drop off his school bag, which he hadn't gotten the chance to do all day, he opened his locker and proceeded before stopping. Reaching his hand in, he pulled out a rather large box of chocolates, much larger than the ones he received before. He glanced around him, seeing if there was anyone nearby, before returning his gaze to the gift. The chocolates looked rather expensive this time, and he highly doubted that Tezuka would spend on something like this anyway. Most likely, it's from the same admirer. It appears that the admirer must be incredibly rich and wealthy to spend on such an expensive brand for someone his or her age. It would also seem to be a waste to throw something like this away.

Fuji signed, clearly in a dilemma. Tezuka wouldn't like him to keep something like this, so reluctantly, the tensai dumped the far-from-cheap box straight into the trashcan. Such a loss, he could've given it to Momoshiro or even his favorite redhead to finish it for him. He turned, ready to step out the door when he glanced over his shoulder, curious. He walked back to the row of lockers and stopped at one in particular not far from his own. Without hesitation, he opened it and peered inside, finding textbooks, a magazine on tennis, and some files belonging to the student council's. There was nothing else out of the ordinary in this locker. Taking a deep breath of relief, he closed it shut, stared at it for a moment, and then left.

* * *

Lunch was halfway over, and Tezuka strolled through a hallway, noting how the area looked unusually empty, probably because most of the students were eating in the cafeteria or outdoors. Just moments ago, the student council president had to deal with the computer club's accusation of the literature club having sabotaged their booth, with the president of the former club giving a list of all the harassment and abuse he had to endure from the literature club's own president. However, after much hours of discussion and some investigating, the student council members found the claims unfounded, and the computer club's president was left feeling chagrined with a warning for causing anymore disturbances. Now, Tezuka realized he was finished with his interschool festival duties earlier than expected. There really wasn't much else to do other then go back to check on the play later, unless something else comes up, which was most likely to happen. Things have been rather unpredictable. Stopping for a moment, the Seigaku Buchou glanced out the window at an empty grassy lawn. Fuji must be finished with lunch by now, so it would probably be pointless to try to join him at the moment. Thus, Tezuka decided to just spend the last half of his free time resting under a shaded tree. The weather does seem pleasant.

Exiting one of the building doors, Tezuka headed towards an isolated area and sat underneath a tree, leaning against the bark as he closed his eyes for a moment's relief.

"Tezuka~"

The bespectacled man's eyes snapped open, and he glanced up to find an eager third year in Hyotei's school uniform standing right before him.

"I thought I would find you here," Jirou beamed. "Can I join you?"

Tezuka blinked at the eager boy who was holding a wrapped bento. "A…aa."

Jirou promptly plopped himself right next to Tezuka, untying the wrapped lunch to reveal two bentos. He held up one towards the serious man. "I actually have an extra. It was supposed to be for Oshitari, but he ended up buying lunch from the cafeteria."

Tezuka gaped, staring at the bento before slowly reaching his hand out to take it. "Aa, thank you." He took the box and continued to glance at it. Well, he may have missed half of lunch, but at least he got a free lunch too.

* * *

Fuji sighed as he walked through the hallway alone. His time with Tezuka has been really cutting short lately, and it was starting to wear him down. Not one who is known to be patient when it comes to these things, the tensai wondered in a melancholy manner just how long does he have to wait before he can have more quality time with his Buchou. His mood, despite his attempt to cover it up, has even effected his ability to perform well during rehearsal. It was a disgrace, his actions today, and Fuji promised himself that he would do better after lunch when he goes back to the auditorium. Turning a corner, he proceeded to continue when he stopped and looked out the window. And then, blue eyes enlarged beyond belief.

Just outside, there sat Tezuka underneath the tree, eating lunch with…

Jirou.

Fuji gaped, immediately closing in on the window as he continued to peer outside. Jirou was laughing, clearly enjoying himself, while Tezuka remained his same usual stoic self while eating…the same matching bento to the Hyotei regular's. The tensai found himself stunned beyond comprehension, not trusting what he is seeing. Didn't Tezuka say he didn't have time for lunch? Why was he now…

Fuji felt a nerve snap as blue eyes flashed with piercing sharpness, watching the wavy-haired boy continue to chuckle full heartedly at the bespectacled male sitting next to him.

* * *

When lunch finished, Tezuka excused himself from the third-year Hyotei, making a clean escape as he mumbled some student council duties excuse. Making it back inside the building, the bespectacled man breathed in relief. There was only so much talking he could take from someone like that, and although he doesn't say much in a conversation anyway, he found his ears feeling the toll as the boy chatted on and on and on. He was not one to be sociable to begin with, always perferring solitude except in the company of certain individuals. Besides that, the bento was rather delicious. Checking on the time, Tezuka noted how he needed to hurry back to the auditorium. Taking an alternative route so that he wouldn't run into Jirou again, he headed down a different path, passing by classrooms and students before rounding a corner and nearly running into another individual.

"Tezuka Buchou, I've been looking for you," the blue-haired Buchou of Rikkaidai smiled friendly.

"Aa, Yukimura Buchou," Tezuka greeted. "What can I do for you?"

Yukimura chuckled. "I just have something I wanted to speak to you about. I promise it won't take that long. Do you have a moment?" he asked politely.

"Aa."

"Tezuka, do you plan on playing a match with Sanada?"

The Seigaku Buchou was rather surprised by the question, although he didn't show it. He wasn't prepared to be asked this. "I don't believe I will."

"That's good," the other captain grinned pleasantly. "Because I was going to advise that it may be inappropriate for you to play against our vice-captain in an unsupervised match, given your position."

The serious man continued with the same stoic manner. "Aa, I agree."

"I guess there isn't anything else to discuss since we are both in agreement on this. Well then, chao." Yukimura waved with a smile before turning around and walking away, leaving the Seigaku captain remaining there looking rather confused.

For a while, Tezuka stood there, unmoving. It was a strange encounter, and he noted those ocean blue eyes that watched him closely, intently, and carefully despite the polite demeanor on the surface. Tezuka is not one to waver under anything, but the gaze he received was unlike any other, and he found himself feeling slightly uncomfortable. But upon noting that he was running out of time, he waved off the thought and quickly headed towards the auditorium.

* * *

Rehearsal after lunch was better this time, although there seemed to be some…tension, compared to before. Atobe gaped as he watched Fuji recite his lines in a rather strained manner. It was as though Juliet was hiding a temper tantrum, or PMSing. Even that smile the tensai always has on seemed unnatural. But nevertheless, Fuji was still reciting his lines as he should be, and the Hyotei captain went along with it, although boggled by Fuji's odd behavior that day.

Fuji spoke word by word flawlessly as he had effortlessly memorized while peering out the corner of his eye at Jirou approaching Tezuka off stage. There seemed to be a short conversation before Jirou pulled out another clear plastic bag tied by a ribbon on the top.

"It looks like Oshitari didn't like muffins, so I have extras you can have in addition to the ones this morning," Jirou presented, holding the bag out proudly towards Tezuka.

Tezuka's mouth fell ajar. "But this is already too much-"

"These are blueberries, less sweet than the chocolate-chip muffins I gave you this morning." Jirou looked straight into those deep brown orbs with observing, bright, expectant smiley eyes. "You don't like too much sweet, right?"

Tezuka was rather speechless before silently taking the bag and nodding a thank you.

Meanwhile, a loud hammer pounded on a wooden board behind the stage where the play's crew worked relentlessly. "Ack, this is so hard to do," Echizen complained.

Fuji continued to stare at that bag in Tezuka's hand.

"Stop whining, you wouldn't have wanted to act in the play anyway," Momoshiro scolded.

_Bam._

The sound of the hammer pounding loudly continued to blare from the background, bouncing throughout the whole auditorium and entering the tensai's ear at a steady rhythm. Blue eyes gazed at the freshly baked muffins sitting mockingly in that clear plastic bag off stage.

_Bam._

"Tsk, stupid cheesy play," Echizen remarked behind the stage as he worked on the play's props, stopping for a moment to wipe off the sweat from his forehead before continuing to hammer on the wooden board.

_Bam._

Blue eyes watched Jirou take Tezuka's hand into both of his own again, the Hyotei regular bowing thankfully with that warm, cheerful disposition.

_Bam._

"Man, my wallet's practically empty now." Momoshiro remarked as he stared with a rather depressed look. "This bet is costing me a lot."

_Bam._

The image of Jirou and the bespectacled Buchou having lunch underneath the tree popped up in his mind.

_Bam._

With matching bentos.

_Bam._

Those hands still held onto Tezuka's own large one as if for eternity.

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Bam._

_

* * *

_

Tezuka sighed quietly to himself as he walked through the school building once more. It was already the afternoon, and he had to take care of some more interschool festival issues that came up just now before finally having the chance to retire for the day to the student council room, where he would be finishing up some paper work. So much for incorrectly believing that he had finished his duties early today. He should've known to expect that there will always be some issue or incident popping up somewhere that would require his utmost attention at anytime. Thus, wanting to stay ahead and not fall behind of his responsibilities, he decided it'd be best to stay a little longer in school today, given that there was no tennis practice. And the play's rehearsal seemed to be going well. Arriving at his destination, he opened the door to the student council room and closed it behind him, heading for his desk when...

"Fuji!"

There, sitting on the couch, again, was the tensai, who was clearly waiting there expecting him.

"Fuji, I thought I told you last time the student council room was off limits! And didn't I take the key away from you?"

Fuji threw a pouty fit. "Actually, you never took the key back."

"Fuji!" Tezuka pointed at the door. "Shouldn't you be in rehearsal?"

"We're on break."

"Then take your break elsewhere. I'm sorry, but I have some things I need to take care of-" Before Tezuka could finish his sentence, much to his surprise, Fuji walked right past him without a word. And just as the student council president was thinking that the tensai was actually complying with his request for once, there was the sound of a click. Tezuka turned around and saw Fuji facing the door, his hand released from the lock. The student council president narrowed his eyes, knowing this wasn't a good sign. "Fuji, we can't do this again in here-"

"Give me the muffins."

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked, taken off guard as the tensai held out his hand, a rather unusual serious look on his face, the same serious look he shows on rare occasions on the tennis court.

"You don't want to eat sweets, right?" Fuji continued, holding his gaze.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. "Fuji, you've eaten too many sweets. As your team captain, I'm not allowing you to jeopradize your health."

Fuji furrowed his eyebrows, and he stepped forward, reaching out for the bag still in Tezuka's hand, only to touch empty air.

"Fuji, did you not hear me? I will not allow you to ruin your health." Tezuka held the bag away, unwavering.

The tensai was clearly not satisfied by this. More aggressively, Fuji stepped forward and went for the bag as Tezuka lifted it higher. Normally, under any normal circumstances, the height difference would've been a great disadvantage for someone as tall as Fuji, which wasn't very tall at all, but the tensai was an extremely flexible tennis player, and he immediately leaped into the air and successfully grasped his fingers around half of the bag before landing back on his feet.

Eyes enlarged, Tezuka pulled on the bag back towards himself as Fuji tugged on it in the opposite direction.

"Tezuka, give me the bag!"

"Fuji, I order you to let go!"

"No!" Fuji snapped back stubbornly.

"Fuji!" Tezuka stressed through strained teeth, refusing to release the bag. Just what on earth has gotten into the tensai with this obsession with sweets?

The sound of fingertips screeching on the surface of the plastic bag filled the air painfully, and the two tugged and tugged, yelling at each other, neither willing to back down as the object they were fighting for swayed back and forth, back and forth, when suddenly…

_Pop!_

An explosion of fluflly blueberry muffins erupted into the air before raining down on them in scatters around the floor, leaving both individuals stunned with a piece of the ripped plastic bag in each hand respectively.

"Fuji! Look at what you did," Tezuka scolded disapprovingly. "I don't know what is wrong with you today, but you need to stop acting childish." The bespectacled man reached out his hand to begin picking up the muffins from the ground when he felt his wrist grabbed and his whole body flung against the wall unexpectedly. "Fuji-" The Seigaku student council president found the same hand clasp around his school uniform collar before being dragged down onto his knees onto the floor. He shut his eyes at the impact, only to open them again at the soft caresses roaming through his hair and scalp. His cheeks were cupped and tilted upwards, and brown orbs blinked questioningly at the tender yet rough touches and the strange, quiet smile on the tensai standing before him. Sharp, piercing, crystal clear blue orbs closed in on him and entrapped him, harboring secret intentions that left his heart racing. The hands then grasped the back of his hair and brought him forward towards the other's waist. Tezuka looked up again, silently asking when he heard the sound of pants unzipping. Eyes enlarged and heart pounding, he felt a thumb run across his lips, slowly, sensually, leaving chills tingling down his spine. "F-Fuji?" he asked, the nervousness clear in those wide brown orbs.

Fuji stared down at him with a coy smile.

"Suck."


	9. Chapter 9

**Apologies for the delay! As I mentioned in Ch 1, there will be times that I will be unable to update on a weekly basis due to having to balance various things at once. This happened to be one of those times. Things are getting busier now, so this may happen a few more times with me taking two or more weeks to update. I only release chapters once I've edited them multiple times and feel they are ready to go, so I thank everyone for their patience!  
**

**Now, on with the story! **

**

* * *

**

Chapter 9

Fuji's word echoed in his mind.

_Suck._

The request, or rather, the order, was a shock for the bespectacled student council president. And sudden too. Brown orbs continued to look at blue ones, that mysterious coy smile making his heart race as a thumb traced down to his chin and tilted it at an angle. Tezuka watched as Fuji undid his pants and pulled out his manhood in front of his face. Swallowing a nervous lump in his throat, Tezuka stared at the member that was asking.

No. _Demanding._

For a minute, he found himself unable to move as his mind whirled with anxiousness and hesitation. And then, with raised shaky hands, Tezuka took the member into his mouth.

Although Fuji has done it countless times to him, the Seigaku Buchou has never returned the favor. It's not that he never wanted to. In fact, he had offer a few times before in the past, albeit indirectly or quietly. But the tensai always told him to not push himself too hard, and thus, Tezuka never had to.

Until now.

The normally stoic man found himself blushing in embarrassment as he wrapped his lips around the length and sucked on the foreign object, pulling back and forth, extremely nervous. This was completely new to him, and he found himself grimacing at first at the texture and taste. It was soft and delicate yet…strange. And the tissue was rapidly growing hard as the tensai began to gasp and groan quietly above him.

"Tezuka, use your tongue," Fuji breathed, amazed by this wonderful sensation of having his manhood in Tezuka's mouth.

The bespectacled man obeyed and, reluctantly at first, began working his tongue around the slit and the length unsurely, trying to mimic how Fuji usually does it to him. And Fuji does a _very _good job at it. Eyes half-lidded, Tezuka tasted the skin, licking the slit and feeling Fuji grasp his hair roughly all of a sudden, as though trying hard not to come too fast.

Fuji glanced down and caressed Tezuka's cheek, watching intently as the silent male sucked, and sucked, and sucked, all the while looking completely awkward and flustered. Sure, Tezuka was new at this, and was even clumsy too, but damn, it feels so good right now! Fuji placed one hand on the wall for support as he leaned forward into the other's mouth more, surprising the brown-haired third year.

Tezuka could feel the member harden even more in his mouth, engorged and larger than before. Surprised by Fuji's size, he paused for a moment to catch his breath, feeling rather ashamed of doing something like this _again_ in the student council room, before continuing to suck. Every time he licked Fuji's tip, he closed his eyes, face red and embarrassed beyond belief at what he was doing. But he had no right to complain, given how many times Fuji did it to _him._ And it's not that Tezuka doesn't like returning the favor. He doesn't mind giving the blowjob, and as much as he won't admit it, he is rather aroused by the sweet noises Fuji is currently making with his moans and groans. But Tezuka is more bothered and distracted by the fact of how he looks right now, and how the action itself is making him feel incredibly flustered. After all, he's currently on his knees, his mouth wide open deep throating another man's pride.

"Tezuka," Fuji breathed out, feeling himself coming close as that tongue tasted him and the warm cavern engulfed his member again and again. Oh, the sweet bliss!

Suddenly, Tezuka felt the back of his head grabbed and pushed forward as the arousal in his mouth tensed, spasmed, and released. The orgasm was unexpected, and Tezuka's eyes widened as the hand on his hair forced him to keep his mouth around the member. The bespectacled stoic man felt the gush of warm, bitter yet strange liquid shoot into his mouth, and he closed his eyes, trying to pull back but unable to as Fuji thrust in further and spilled his seeds, forcing him to swallow. He could hear Fuji crying out in ecstasy at climaxing wonderfully, and once it was finished, Tezuka pulled back, gasping for air and choking and coughing at the unusual taste as leftover cum dripped out of the corners of his mouth. How can Fuji swallow stuff like this all the time?

Fuji panted against the wall and looked down, tilting that flustered red face up at him. He smiled in amusement at the cum trickling down that chin. Tezuka…looks delicious right now. "Ne, how about we finish this together?"

* * *

"Mmnn…!" Tezuka moaned, nearly kicking a leg out as Fuji fingered his entrance, scissoring and pushing and probing.

"Tezuka, look how loose you are already. You were turned on by doing just that?" Fuji teased, watching the other man withered some more helplessly as he stuck in a third finger and twirled at the wetness inside. "Ne, you don't have to hold back. Your body is demanding me to make love to you right now."

Tezuka shakily bit down harder on his uniform arm sleeve, muffling his gasps and grunts as his legs quivered at the pleasure Fuji was showering at his entrance. His eyes stung with wetness at the unbearable sensation as the tensai purposefully brushed lightly, barely, torturously against his prostate. The third year was pinned down by the other on the couch, his pants dangling only at the ankle now as he struggled to keep his voice down. Maintaining composure had gone out the window long ago.

Suddenly, Tezuka flicked his head back at something strange being rubbed around his length. He looked down and watched Fuji above him now rub one of the muffins playfully over his groin. "What, what are you doing?" He shook.

"Tezuka," Fuji began coyly with a grin, emitting more erotic noises from the taller male as he rolled the muffin sensually over his privates. "We're going to play a little game, no?" He held up the muffin and waved it slowly across Tezuka's questioning face. "You promise me that you won't be accepting anymore gifts from Jirou, or else," Fuji clasped the other hand around Tezuka's base, receiving a sharp cry of surprise in return, "I won't let you come at all."

"F-Fuji!" Tezuka watched in horror his arousal now turn a shade of painful blue. "Fuji, it would be rude of me. And they're just food, not gifts-Ah..!" Tezuka lifted his back up in a cackled shock, arching incredibly as Fuji stroked him hard and hard, speeding up before stopping and holding on to the base again. The immediate stop and go was driving Tezuka mad, and the taller male sunk his fingers into the couch mattress underneath as he stared apprehensively into coy blue ones once more.

"You should be good, Tezuka," Fuji warned playfully, using his other hand to tease that warm cavern spewing in inviting wetness. "I can make this really hard on you. Not to mention you look like you're going to burst." He leaned down and licked the tip of that aching length, watching the body beneath him flinch. And then, he proceeded to toy with his new plaything with the muffin.

Tezuka muffled his mouth again, clenching his eyes shut as he tried vainly to ignore the soft yet rough texture of the dessert rounding his sensitive spots. This was beyond inappropriate to treat a gift in this matter!

Wait, did he just consider that a gift?

"Nn!" Tezuka snapped his eyes open, gasping through his sleeve in short pants as Fuji rubbed the muffin up and down around his sac, circling unashamedly.

_Click._

The pair froze, cold sweat washing over them, and their eyes slowly peered at the door near them. A strange shadow hovered at the mosaic blurry glass window as the locked door knob shook briefly.

Tezuka's eyes widened, dreading what may happen at this very moment. Has one of the student council members returned to the room? Is one of them about to walk in on them? What happens if it was his vice-president, or the secretary? Oh, the utter embarrassment at being found in this manner, with his pants hanging around his ankle and his body in this current unimaginable state! The image of the proper, disciplined, strict student council president, model student, and tennis captain will be shattered, and the poor bespectacled third year may end up finding himself transferring to another school. He would have to start over, adjust to his new surroundings, try out for the tennis team (which wouldn't be a problem at all), but probably not run for student council membership though considering such an election occurs almost a year prior to the current school term.

The doorknob rumbled for another second, and Tezuka held his breath, his heart wanting to burst through his chest as it pounded and pounded in nervous sweat. But then, all was quiet, and the shadow disappeared, leaving the door untouched.

Tezuka breathed out in a sigh of relief, and he glanced up to find in surprise Fuji with those sharp blue orbs eyeing the door over his shoulder suspiciously, carefully, completely remaining still. And then, the tensai returned his attention to him.

"Let's continue." Fuji grasped the sac in his hands and massaged it along with the muffin, crumbling the dessert into pieces and letting the bits roll against the tender skin.

Tezuka moaned and threw his arms over his eyes. "Stop, Fuji, we were almost seen," he lowered his voice hoarsely.

"But we weren't."

"Let's end this now."

"Not yet, I still haven't entered you." Fuji leaned up. "Tezuka, look at me."

Slowly, the bespectacled third year removed his arms, his weary dazed eyes and flustered red face looking back hesitantly.

The tensai smiled. So adorable to find this normally stoic, seemingly emotionless man completely bashful and vulnerable, although in a manly way of course. He lowered his face down until he was an inch away from Tezuka's own. "That blow job you gave me was incredible, even for your first time. You did a good job, Kunimitsu." He purred the name as he latched his lips onto the others and immediately began kissing passionately, ferociously, hungrily.

Tezuka, knowing that it was futile to resist Fuji when in this state, allowed Fuji to dominate as he gasped at the tongue exploring his cavern with steamy wetness. He groaned and shook, feeling now the hand use what was left of the muffin to rub around the inner thighs. And then, unexpectedly, Fuji pulled back, leaving a trail of saliva between them.

"Before I finish you, you need to promise me."

Tezuka breathed erratically, still trying to catch up. "What…do you mean?"

"Remember, I just said I won't let you come unless you stop accepting gifts from Jirou." Fuji used two fingers to walk up on that tall, aching shaft, sending shivers down Tezuka's spine. "Down here needs to be satisfied, huh? So, what do you say?"

The bespectacled third year thought about this. Would it seem rude to reject gifts from his rival captain's teammate? Being a captain himself, he must enforce proper etiquette, and although Atobe is not exactly someone he likes, he does respect the haughty man, and to refuse a gift from someone on said man's team seems rather inconsiderate for someone in his position. On the other hand, Fuji seems to be upset with this, and honestly, he has every right to be because…

"Shuusuke."

Fuji paused, surprised at this rare occasion of his name being called.

"I'll stop accepting Jirou's gifts, but you must also not accept any gifts from that admirer." Tezuka glanced away, trying unsuccessfully to hide his blush.

The tensai blinked a couple times, stunned, before laughing uncontrollably, earning a disapproving glare from the other third year. "You amuse me, even with that dry humor of yours." He lowered his face once more, coy mischievous blue eyes gazing into brown ones. "I already promised not to accept any gifts also, Kunimitsu." Without warning, Fuji lifted the others right leg up high into the air, turning the taller man onto his side. Positioning himself as he hovered in a half sitting manner over Tezuka's left leg, the tensai placed the right leg over his own right shoulder. And then, tossing the rest of the crumbled muffin onto the floor, Fuji thrust into that entrance swiftly.

Tezuka dug his fingernails into the mattress at this new perpendicular position as he shook on his side and muffled his mouth against his other sleeve, his face flushed and contorted. His distorted cries blurred into the black cloth as Fuji thrust, and thrust, and thrust, and thrust. The tensai did him hard, deep, going full throttle at this angle, arms embracing Tezuka's one leg in the air for support. These were one of the times Fuji would purposely tease him and send him over the edge, not that the hazelnut-haired boy didn't always do this other times, but today was considered one of the more "extreme" moments of teasing.

Fuji nibbled at Tezuka's knee, stroking his leg and chuckling in amusement as he watched below him Tezuka struggling desperately to hold down his voice, the poor bespectacled man's face completely red like a tomato as mouth moaned wantonly in pleasure into the school uniform. Rolling his hips at this interesting position, Fuji rolled harder and harder, wanting to make Tezuka cry out loudly beyond control. "Kunimitsu, I want to hear your voice."

Tezuka shook his head anxiously, panting quickly and grunting as weary eyes widened at Fuji striking his internal sweet spot mercilessly, the pleasures messing with his head and breaking down his iron wall of strong will as he lay helplessly in this vulnerable state. And then, finally, he shuddered violently and cried out hard into his shirt sleeve, his muffled voice vibrating against the cloth at the intense climax that overwhelmed him before he nearly passed out.

* * *

Tezuka stumbled awkwardly out of the student council room, balancing himself against the door before locking it from outside in the hallway. He was fully dressed once more, having smoothed out the wrinkles and spot checked for any signs of…stains. Fuji had gone on ahead back to rehearsal, leaving Tezuka to rest and freshen up (given his embarrassing state). The student council president had to straighten out his tousled locks, which were in upheavals, and he looked rather ruffled. However, fifteen minutes was all he needed to groom himself back to his old self. At least the tensai had the decency to sweep up all the crumbled muffins on the floor. The bespectacled man shivered, not knowing if he'd be able to look at another muffin again.

Tezuka stared at the door and rubbed the side of his uniform collar precariously. Before Fuji left, the third year had decided to leave a few more "marks" on the neck, as insurance against a certain unfavorable Hyotei regular. And the tensai made sure those "marks" were _clear_. Sighing, Tezuka turned to his left to proceed down the hall when he found his foot giving out, sending him toppling over face forward.

A large arm out of nowhere caught him by the waist, preventing his nearly inevitable fall onto the white cold tiles, and he glanced up in surprise to find the Rikkaidai vice-captain holding onto him, also blinking in surprise.

"Tezuka, are you all right?" Sanada asked, helping the Seigaku captain back onto his feet.

"Aa, gomen," Tezuka apologized as he tried to steady himself on his feet, acting normal. "I was just on my way to check on the rehearsal. Are you all on break?"

"Yes, we just started our break. By the way, do you know where Fuji is? We were looking for him, and couldn't rehearse properly."

The image of Fuji doing him just a moment before flashed across Tezuka's mind. "I don't know," Tezuka stated stoically, maintaining his strict, calm demeanor. He felt slightly guilty for lying, but given the circumstances, he had a legitimate excuse to do so.

Sanada furrowed his eyebrows at something, and then suddenly closed in on his rival, observing. "Tezuka, your face looks rather red." He held out a hand, long fingers reaching near those tinted cheeks. "Do you have a fever?"

Tezuka's eyes widened and he took a step back, trying to hide his (what must be) embarrassing afterglow. "It was stuffy in the student council room. I have to go now."

"Wait, Tezuka, I had come to ask you," Sanada retreated his hand. "Have you made a decision on my request for a match?"

Tezuka paused for a moment, and then said straight into the other man's eyes, "Aa, I have given it a great deal of thought, and at this time, I believe it to be inappropriate of us to have an unofficial match."

The reply obviously startled the vice-captain, for his dark eyes lit up in surprise.

Unpleasant surprise.

Figuring the conversation was over, Tezuka made his way to pass the traditional Rikkaidai regular when he felt a hand clasp onto his arm strongly.

"Tezuka, please tell me what is the reason for your decision," Sanada said in a strained tone, more of a demand than a request.

Tezuka felt the hand tighten its grip, and he looked over his shoulder, locking bold stern eyes with the other. "As vice-captain, you should know your position." He snatched his arm away and left, not noticing the extremely furious and shocked look on the other man's face.

Sanada tightened his fists until they were knuckle white, his teeth gritted and his dark eyes staring hard at the bespectacled man's back as he lowered his gaze shakily and called out across the hall, "Tezukaaaaa!"

As Tezuka continued throughout the building, he tried to hide the limp and wobble in his walk. His inner thighs were starting to feel sore, and his body even felt weak. Tezuka was rather annoyed that Fuji overdid it again (surprise, surprise), and now his own body was suffering the consequences. Stopping briefly, the bespectacled man rested himself against a wall in an isolated area. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about Fuji accepting anymore gifts from that admirer, whoever it is.

"Tezuka, you seem out of shape. Are all the responsibilities finally making you crack?"

The familiar voice made Tezuka glance up, brown eyes meeting that smirk on the face of one he was least looking forward to running into. He narrowed his eyes. "Saeki."

"As much as I'm stressed with juggling student council responsibilities and tennis practice, I'm amazed that you of all people seem to be caving in under the pressure. Maybe your body's starting to suffer. Unless..." Saeki's sharp eyes noticed the edge of what appears to be a dark mark hidden within the top of the collar. "There's something _else _taking up your time and energy."

The comment obviously didn't amuse Tezuka, who threw a deathly glare at the Rokkaku male. Seaki laughed an annoying chuckle before walking away with his hands in his pockets. Sighing silently and now completely peeved, Tezuka decided he didn't want to run into anyone else in his current state, and pushed himself off the wall to proceed down the hall and turn a corner when he crashed into someone.

"Ouch! Who dares run into me-" Atobe blinked, surprised as he watched the bespectacled man readjust his glasses. "Tezuka, fancy running into you."

"Aa," the stoic man responded in short, smoothing out his uniform and hiding his grimace of having to run into another person he was not interested in speaking with at the moment.

"I was about to go find you. I demand that you punish Fuji! Did you know he missed rehearsal earlier? Because of that, the great Atobe Keigo was unable to show his prowess in the play!" the haughty man declared boisterously.

If Tezuka had been any other person, he would've rolled his eyes at this statement, but as it was, it would be uncharacteristic of the Buchou who was known for his wooden expressions. "I will be sure to talk to him about it. My apologies for my teammate's misbehavior."

"Aa, aa, not a big deal," Atobe waved his hand off, feigning impatient indifference. And then, his sharp eyes caught sight of something. He reached a hand out towards the slightly slanted uniform collar. "Tezuka, what is this-"

Tezuka flinched away, surprising himself and Atobe, who only blinked blankly at this unexpected response. Quickly fixing his collar, the bespectacled student council president excused himself and passed right by the Hyotei captain.

Atobe watched as Tezuka strolled away, albeit awkwardly, as though he had pulled a muscle somewhere. The Hyotei man rested his chin on his hand with a curious gaze. Had Tezuka injured himself just now? Nothing escapes the great Atobe's powerful eyesight, which has the ability to see the weaknesses and blind spots of his opponents on the tennis court. But right now, what Atobe's eyes are seeing is rather…strange. The silvery-haired man raised his head with questioning eyes and an amused smile. "Hm…"

* * *

After break, rehearsal was running as usual, with Fuji feigning sheepishness at having missed rehearsal, much to Atobe's annoyance. The two leads resumed their previous places, and began reciting their lines while Tezuka stood next to Tomoka, watching. After the second act was finished, the backstage crew brought out their half-finished sets, staging them towards the back. One particular structure stood tall, a cutout of a towered balcony for the famous balcony scene. The backdrop was just a backdrop for now, very thin and slightly flimsy yet quite heavy too, but there would be a platform added where "Juliet" would be standing on, along with hidden steps camouflaged into the painted board for "Romeo" to climb up on.

Tomoka approved of the backdrop, nodding in satisfaction. "Okay everyone, let's take this last break for the day before we finish rehearsal! Be back in fifteen minutes!"

As everyone scattered, Fuji decided to head off the stage when something caught his eye in the back. Walking to the hidden corner where the stage crew normally worked, he found in surprise a large bouquet of freshly cut roses, dethorned too, and a small note with his name on it. He picked up the flowers, admiring them before remembering his promise to Tezuka. And speaking of Tezuka…

"Fuji."

Fuji sighed, clearly aware of the bespectacled man's tall presence hovering over him. It's just like his Buchou – nothing escapes those hawk-like eyes. Taking the note off, Fuji stuffed it into his pocket and turned to his side. "Sakuno-chan."

The first year who stood a few feet away blinked in surprise at being called over by the popular tensai, and quickly scurried over shyly. "Ano…"

"Ne, Sakuno-chan, I found these roses lying around, and thought it fitting for a cute girl like yourself to have them. Here." He smiled his infamous charming smile.

Immediately, the first year blushed profusely, her cheeks glowing rosily as she slowly took the bouquet. "T-Thank you, Fuji-senpai!" She bowed multiple times before running off, her heart beating rapidly.

Still smiling, Fuji faced Tezuka, who seemed to hide a scowl. "Told you I promise I wouldn't take anymore gifts."

"But you gave them to Ryuzaki Sensei's granddaughter."

"So?"

"It is irresponsible of you to give her the wrong idea."

Fuji sighed, slightly exasperated. It is hard to please Tezuka's strict standards. "Don't worry, it's not like I need flowers to charm her."

"Fuji!"

The tensai chuckled playfully before saying mischievously, "Ne, how do you feel? You looked like you were walking funny earlier."

Tezuka immediately gave him a look. "I'm not done with this subject. Fuji, the admirer left flowers on stage."

"Yes?"

"In clear view for you to see."

"I suppose."

"The admirer is definitely here."

Fuji raised his head in thought, his hand on his chin. "That's a good point. So maybe we should take this opportunity to find out who it is."

"Why do you not look worried."

Fuji giggled. "This is kind of fun. It's like a mystery game."

"Fuji! This is not a game! You need to take this seriously!"

Meanwhile, off stage, Oishi was in a conversation with his doubles partner, Kikumaru.

"Eiji, do you want to come over tonight to watch the new tennis match DVD I got?" He asked, hiding his blush and eagerness.

"Hm! Eiji will go over to Oishi's house!" The redhead jumped up and down excitedly. "Let's have a sleepover too! A sleepover!"

Oishi smiled, and then straightened his face with determination, much to Kikumaru's obliviousness. Tonight, for sure, he will make his move. That's right, Oishi has determined that he will finally confess to the acrobatic regular! They have been hanging out a lot, and he feels that perhaps Kikumaru would not be so adverse to…dating him. At least, that's what he hoped. And if the redhead does decide to sleep over...

Sighing, he turned to see Tezuka and Fuji entering what appears to be an argument, despite Fuji's smiling face and Tezuka's wooden one. Having known the two for a long time now, he was very familiar with their mannerisms, even if they are both masters of masking their true emotions. He watched Tezuka turn around and take a step away from the tensai when the vice-captain caught sight of the tall, balcony structure budging slightly.

Back on stage, Fuji said to the bespectacled man's back, "Ne, Tezuka, want to come over tonight? I can help you deal with _that_ after rehearsal."

"No," Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows in annoyance, taking another step as he got ready to walk away.

"TEZUKA! FUJI! LOOK OUT!"

"Hm?" Tezuka turned back around at the sound of Oishi calling out frantically to him when he noticed a shadow looming over the floor where he was standing. Eyes widening, he glanced up and saw the famous balcony of Romeo and Juliet falling towards him. Heart skipping a beat, his eyes locked in on the tensai who's mouth was ajar as he stood frozen, feet glued to the floor and blue eyes watching in surprise the structure coming closer.

"FUJI!" Tezuka leaped forward with one large stride, his two outstretched hands pushing the tensai in the chest with the full force of what would almost be equivalent to a sonic wave.

Fuji launched a few feet back and landed on his back, hearing the sound of a large crash that stung his ears as dust flew into his eyes and burned them while the impact echoed across the auditorium. Coughing and slightly disoriented, he slowly sat up, feeling his bum hurting as he rubbed the side of that area.

"Tezuka! Quick, get him out of there!"

Those frantic words froze Fuji's heart, and the tensai slowly raised his head. Blue eyes immediately enlarging tenfold, the hairs of his skin tingled like ice as he found, much to his horror, the tall Seigaku Buchou lying face down with his arms out, unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Fuji stood frozen, his legs unable to move as he stared wide-eyed at the Seigaku captain lying underneath the board. He moved his lips, not emitting any sounds, as his throat felt constricted. His muscles tensed tightly, painfully, suffocating, having suddenly lost the ability to move. He couldn't hear, he couldn't hear at all, as though everything had gone eerily quiet. Yet, he could see dark whisperings, inaudible whisperings, as his eyes continued to stare at the Seigaku captain lying still beneath the board, his hands and arms unmoving.

"Tezuka! Quick, get him out!"

His ears regained the ability to hear, and Fuji snapped out of his momentary stupor as Tachibana cried out. He found the strength to move once more, and he ran to the unconscious individual. Just as he leaned down to pick up the board, a young male with wavy hair leaped into the air onto the stage, landing right before the tensai. Fuji glanced up to find Jirou bending down to pick up the board as others began to join them.

"Lift it up now!" Tachibana ordered as he, Fuji, Jirou, and Bane pushed the board up and against the back of the stage.

"Buchou!" Momoshiro called out as the Seigaku regulars ran to their unconscious captain.

"Tezuka, wake up! Tezuka!" Fuji shook the man gently, not receiving a response.

"Quick! Get Ryuzaki Sensei!" Oishi assigned to Horio and two other freshmen, who promptly exited out the doors with their orders.

"What the heck happened?" Atobe demanded, entering through the side door just as the three first years ran right past him. "What's going on-Oi!" His eyes enlarged at the sight before him, and he quickly ran on stage. "Tezuka—what happened to him?"

"Tezuka got hurt," Jirou frowned, reaching a hand out towards the Seigaku captain.

_Slap!_

Everyone stared in shock, watching as Fuji glared at the Hyotei regular, his hand half out midair threateningly. The tensai looked frighteningly angry.

"Oi, you have no right to hit my teammate like that, Fuji!" Atobe scolded.

But the tensai didn't hear, and only continued to glare, which was unusual for him, as Jirou held his own gaze with the other, unwavering. A strong tension developed between the two.

"Enough of this. Tezuka, wake up already! Hey, can you hear me?" Atobe got down on one knee and gently shook the man. "We should get him to the infirmary and have the nurse check up on him. He may have a concussion."

At that moment, there was a quiet groan, and everyone blinked before crowding closer around the bespectacled man.

Tezuka let out another grunt, albeit quietly still, before slowly opening his eyes.

"Tezuka!" Fuji cried out, relieved. He helped turn the man onto his back carefully, watching the captain frown in confusion and pain.

"Tezuka, are you all right?" Atobe asked. "Say something!"

"What's going on?" Yukimura arrived right behind them, his eyes finding the Seigaku captain lying on the stage floor. "Oh my, is he all right?"

"The structure fell on him," Tachibana explained.

"What?" Rikkaidai's Niou remarked as he and Yagyuu arrived after returning from break. "How did that happen? Hey, do you need help carrying him? Should we go get someone?"

"Horio already went to get Ryuzaki Sensei," Oishi frowned, watching as his best friend blinked a few times with half-closed lids, clearly disoriented.

"What's going on here?" Sanada stepped onto the stage to see all the commotion when his eyes wondered to the floor. "Tezuka!" He immediately got down on his knees. "Oi, what happened?"

"This set design must be weak," Tachibana noted, feeling the board carefully. "This was a pretty bad accident."

"It was no accident."

Everyone directed their attention to the white silvery-haired Rokkaku vice-captain who joined Tachibana at the board. His sharp dark green eyes examined the structure from top to bottom carefully, noting every corner, every side, every detail. He walked around it and peered at the back, placing his hand on the side and moving it a little.

"What do you mean, Saeki?" Bane asked.

Saeki reappeared from behind the structure and stepped forward towards his audience. "This was a setup. That board was pushed, and on purpose."

"WHAT?" Everyone gasped at once.

"But surely someone bumped into it by accident and is now afraid to be reprimanded," Oishi suggested.

"No, it was pushed," Saeki affirmed. "And with this." He picked up a small sandbag from behind the structure, holding it out before everyone. "Someone must've thrown this from a safe distance where he or she can still remain hidden from sight."

"What? But, are you sure that wasn't there before?" Kikumaru asked, those cat-like ears perked up in surprise. "Maybe the board really fell over itself."

Saeki turned to the second year near him. "Momoshiro, please explain, how was that board placed?"

Momoshiro blinked in surprise, caught off guard. "Oh, well you see…" The second year entered a short but clear explanation on how the structure was built and placed as it would be on stage during a live performance, to make sure that it would not topple and fall over, especially since there was going to be an individual standing near the top on a fake balcony, and another climbing its walls. "We made sure that the structure was steady because we didn't want a repeat of last time."

"The structure was also built based on my and Yanagi's calculations," the Seigaku data collector chimed in, pulling out his data notebook. "We made sure that everything was accounted for so that such an incident would not occur."

"Just as I suspected," Saeki finished. "The only way for that structure to fall over was if someone had pushed it down, and hard, or by throwing something with enough force to knock it down. Am I right, Inui?"

The data collector adjusted his glasses. "That is correct. There is an eighty-five percent chance that some outside force pushed it over purposefully."

"Not to mention, the rope tied to the sandbag was cut." Saeki held up the bag, revealing the severed rope, before motioning with his head up above, where one rope noticeably dangled on its own, clearly empty amongst the other ones beside it.

"So you mean…someone purposely wanted to hurt…" Oishi trailed off, his skin gone pale as he remembered the soap that disturbingly appeared in his best friend's locker just days before. Was it the stalker this time too?

Saeki, who seemed to have read Oishi's mind, nodded. "I believe so."

"But that would mean…it's…one of us?" Oishi asked hesitantly.

At that suggestion, everyone tensed and glanced at one another. Could it be? Was the culprit responsible for this among them right now? The idea was unsettling, and a few of the regulars shifted around uncomfortably, rather wary that the person next to them could very be that one.

Yukimura rested his chin carefully on his hand. "This is rather troubling."

"No way, it's one of us?" Kamio asked wide-eyed, glancing around, paranoid.

"But why? Why would someone want to hurt Seigaku's Buchou?" Aoi, the Rokkaku captain, asked in disbelief.

"We should check who was backstage at the time," Davide noted.

"But that could be anyone!" Bane added.

"How do we find out who it is?" Itsuki frowned.

"This is a disgrace! Who would stoop so low to do this?" Shishido crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Do they want to win the tournaments that badly by taking out the Seigaku captain in such an underhanded manner? Hmph, I outta' give whoever it is a piece of his own medicine."

"Sh-Shishido-san, calm down," Ohtori pleaded.

"I'm gonna' pound the mother fucker when I find him! PSSSSSSHHHHH!" Kaidoh pounded his fist into the palm of his hand, extremely angered that his captain was hurt.

"Tezuka."

Atobe heard the voice and glanced down, his sharp-sighted eyes blinking once as he watched the tensai with a look of worry reach out a hand to gingerly part those brownish bangs away from the bespectacled man's face. The Hyotei captain raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Fuji," Tezuka finally said, surprising the tensai as he tried to slowly sit up.

"Tezuka, you shouldn't move too much. It's dangerous. You may be injured," Sanada warned, watching as the man ignored his orders and proceeded to sit up anyway and rub his head.

Tezuka let out a quiet sigh, still rather unclear about what had just occurred. Right at that moment, there was the sound of frantic running footsteps before an older woman in pink sweats and sweater appeared at the door alongside the three first years trying to catch up.

"Oi, what happened?" Ryuzaki demanded, running up the steps to the stage and joining the crowd. She got down on her knees and checked on her student, who was still rather dazed and confused. She asked him some questions, receiving some short but coherent response, and checked some of his limbs and movement before bellowing to Tachibana and Atobe, "Quick, you two, help me get him to the infirmary. Oishi, you come with me too so that you can join me when I report this matter to the Dean."

* * *

Tezuka lay on his side on the soft bed in the infirmary, falling in and out of consciousness. He briefly remembered being supported by the arms as he was helped to the nurse's office, where a middle-aged woman conducted some tests before determining that he had no major injuries, but advised him to monitor his health the next few days for signs of sudden headaches or anything unusual, in which case he would need to go to the hospital immediately. Once he was placed in bed, however, he immediately passed out, for the poor student council president was about to finish his first incredibly long stressful week planning the interschool festival, and he was already very tired. Thus, it was of no surprise that Tezuka's body and mind, although incredibly strong and perfectly able to handle everything, decided to take a break and rest. The third year breathed soundly, extremely tired. Occasionally, his mind would wander to the stage where the structure fell, or to the locker where the soap appeared in his locker, or to his room where he was receiving strange calls on his cell. At the same time, his mind didn't want to bother anymore with all of that nonsense, and it decided to brush away those unpleasant memories, sweeping them under the carpet as the third year rested.

But despite his current state, the student council president's sharp senses, always on guard, picked up on the sound of the door opening and closing carefully. Tezuka's mind disregarded the noise, assuming it must be the nurse returning from the staff's office, where his coach and vice-captain were currently talking with the Dean. His ears vaguely heard the footsteps coming towards him, walking, and walking, and walking very steadily.

And then silence.

The air went cold, but his skin tingled slightly at the deep breathing that hovered over his temple for a moment. How odd. Is this another checkup? Then his flesh shivered at something wet running alongside the very edge of his exposed neck. Tezuka furrowed his brows as his eyes remained closed, his mind still falling in and out of consciousness. Was Fuji toying with him again? He breathed out, slightly restless and uncomfortable. Then that same wetness reached his ears, and whispered quietly with a hot breath,

"Tezuka."

Wait. That's not Fuji. Tezuka crinkled his brows some more, his nose wrinkling awkwardly. Shadows crouched around him and blanketed him, slowly spreading across his body in a cold stupor. His mind whirled wildly as though trapped in some uncomfortable nightmare. He felt the wetness enter his ear, whispering once more, again, and again, that barely audible voice constricting him in a claustrophobic manner. Everything was spinning out of control, and he was losing his will as his senses went haywire and he fell farther, and farther, and…

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka snapped his eyes open. He looked over his shoulder behind him where the tensai's worried blue eyes watched him carefully, anxiously.

"Tezuka? Are you feeling better?"

Tezuka blinked and slowly pushed himself up from the bed, turning to face the tensai. He rubbed the side of his neck, frowning. "What were you doing?"

"Hm?" Fuji blinked blankly. "What do you mean?"

"You shouldn't play around like that," Tezuka mumbled, rubbing his neck some more uncomfortably.

Now the tensai was rather confounded. "Tezuka, I just got back."

Tezuka blinked and looked at Fuji, finding those blue eyes staring back innocently. And then, the Seigaku captain's face went starkly pale as he felt the weight of Fuji's words. His hand remained glued to the side of his neck where something strange and wet had touched his skin. But now, that area was dry. His heart beat rapidly as something caught in his throat. His deep brown orbs scanned the room, looking for anyone else who might be in the room. But it was just him and the tensai. Tezuka stared at Fuji, searching for answers in those crystal clear blue eyes. "You weren't here earlier?"

"After I made sure you arrived here, I went with Ryuzaki Sensei and Oishi to the Dean's office. By the way, the Dean said we should be careful from now on and note any unusual activities we see in the school, and to report them immediately to his staff." Fuji noticed that the second part of his reply was lost in those deep brown orbs staring back as though still stuck in perpetual abyss. "Tezuka, what's the matter?"

Tezuka paused for a moment before glancing down, feeling his head. "Aa, nothing." And then, he blinked at the feel of Fuji's fingers gracefully stroking his bangs away. To his surprise, the tensai looked remorseful.

"Kunimitsu, you scared me," Fuji whispered, leaning into Tezuka's shoulder as he rested the side of his cheek against the other male's collarbone. "I didn't know what to do." He let out a loud sigh. "It was my fault you got hurt."

Tezuka frowned and wrapped his arms around the tensai, resting his own chin on top of those hazelnut locks that smelled of honey. "It was not your fault, Shuusuke. I'm glad you're all right." He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth emitted from the tensai when he suddenly felt himself pushed back down onto the bed. He blinked, confused, and found those familiar sharp, seductive blue eyes hovering over him, that coy smile inching closer towards his face.

"Let me comfort you for your injuries," Fuji purred.

Tezuka made a face. He should've known. Just as Fuji was about to lock lips with him, there was the sound of the door opening. Tezuka's eyes widened, and he immediately pushed the tensai off of him, accidentally knocking him onto the floor.

"Ouch! That hurt!" Fuji cried out from landing on his bum when the curtains around the bed were drawn rapidly aside.

"Oi, what's going on here-" Atobe stopped mid-sentence, his eyes moving back and forth between the unexpected visitor on the floor and the Seigaku captain in bed tugging up his uniform collar, his normally stoic face slightly flustered. The Hyotei man raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I came to check up on you, Tezuka. Are you feeling all right?"

"Aa, thank you, Atobe," Tezuka responded quietly, ignoring Fuji who was standing up straight again, brushing himself off not-so-subtly.

Atobe eyed the tensai carefully before continuing. "Rehearsal is canceled for the rest of the day because of today's incident. Your coach said it is better that everyone goes home early. She and some of your teammates are going to inspect the stage for any signs of foul play. My team and I offered to help, but she refused, saying that as the host school, they want to ensure the safety of their guests as well."

Tezuka nodded. "I understand."

"That also means that tennis practice is canceled."

At this additional information, Tezuka's pupils dilated, and he opened his mouth when Atobe swiftly held out a finger.

"Your coach knew you would object, so don't bother and just accept it. She said you of all people deserve to go home and rest, and I agree with her. Don't further injure yourself. I'm expecting to defeat you when you're in your top shape, not when you're limping and wobbling around with that injury."

Tezuka blinked blankly. "Hm, what injury?"

"_That _injury," Atobe emphasized.

"My arm? But it has healed."

"No! _That _injury."

Still, Tezuka continued to stare blankly back at him, along with Fuji.

Atobe felt his frustration increasing at the dimwittedness of his rival. Does Tezuka not realize he's referring to that hamstring injury or leg injury? Wasn't he limping earlier? And then, a realization occurred. Atobe crossed his arms. "Hmph, fine! Deny it if you will, I'll keep your secret safe then. However," he threw a finger and pointed at his rival, "I expect you to be back in your top form, or else the great Atobe will be very disappointed." And with that said, the Hyotei captain promptly turned around and left the room, not noticing the rather flabbergasted look on the two regulars' faces.

"Tezuka, what was that about?" Fuji asked.

Tezuka only blinked blankly, staring at the open door.

* * *

That night, Fuji walked Tezuka home, although he wouldn't exactly word it that way considering the bespectacled man's pride. The tensai was concerned about Tezuka's body, which had suffered enough from not just the stage structure that had dropped on him, but also from Fuji's passionate lovemaking before that. Fuji sighed, promising himself that he wouldn't do anything else to Tezuka for the rest of the day, noting that the taller man's body may not be able to handle it. It was such a waste of a good opportunity, but the tensai knew where to draw the line.

Well, most of the time.

In Tezuka's room, the two did some homework before rehearsing for the play, with Tezuka taking up Atobe's part once more as Fuji recited his lines. The tensai noted how amazing Tezuka is at memorizing so quickly, not that that should be of any surprise, for even though the student council president would not be performing in the play, he can already read half of Romeo's parts by memory. When Fuji asked about it, Tezuka admitted that having to watch rehearsal everyday these past few days, and given Atobe's exemplary performance (Fuji thought he said that with a slight sarcastic tone), it would be natural to become familiar with some of the lines.

At one point, when the two decided to take a break, Fuji snuggled against Tezuka's chest, and the two rested on the bed, with the tensai leaving light, butterfly kisses around the bespectacled man's forehead.

"Thank you for saving me today, Kunimitsu," he breathed, running his fingers through those wonderful brown locks.

Tezuka blushed and glanced away, feeling those soft lips brush against his brow. "Aa."

Finally, it was getting late, and the tensai reluctantly gathered his belongings before leaving the Seigaku captain's home. Upon bidding goodnight, Tezuka went back into the house, closed the door behind him, and went to his room. He decided to get ready for bed, taking his coach's advice to rest up more, when his cell phone rang. He answered it.

"Moshi moshi."

Silence.

Tezuka's eyes peered suspiciously at the phone. "If you were the one who was responsible today, I'm warning you that I will-"

_Click._

Tezuka held the phone out before him, glaring at the blank screen. He set his cell down and proceeded to change when the phone rang again. He picked it up and, before answering it, stared at the "Private Caller" text that continued to flash on the screen. Caller ID had not been helping him. He answered it, bellowing, "Oi!"

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka blinked, recognizing the voice.

"Tezuka, it's me, Tachibana," the Fudomine captain responded.

"Aa, Tachibana. Is there something you need?"

"I just wanted to check up on you to make sure you were okay. How is your head?"

"Nothing to worry about. The nurse just said to be aware of any odd symptoms in the next day or two."

"Soka…How about Fuji? Is he all right? He must be quite shaken up after today's incident."

"He was slightly startled, but he is doing fine."

"Good. Well then, that's all I wanted to know. Take care, Tezuka. After what Saeki said today, perhaps it'd be good to take his advice."

"Aa, I won't let my guard down."

"Okay."

"Wait, Tachibana." Tezuka took a deep breath. "Did you call a moment ago?"

"Huh? No."

"Aa. Then, never mind."

"Okay. Have a good evening, Tezuka."

"Aa. Bye."

_Click._

Tezuka put the phone down and sighed. He was feeling extremely tired and had the urge to just go straight to bed when the phone rang again. He answered it. "Tachibana."

Silence.

Tezuka paused for a moment. "Moshi moshi."

There was the sound of some deep breathing that was barely audible.

_Click._

At this point, Tezuka was getting rather angry, and he was shaking, about to lose his temper when the phone rang again. Furious, he turned his phone off and tossed it to the side of his bed. He proceeded to unbutton his shirt when he stopped, his eyes slowly going to the window. He walked to it and peered outside, finding the night as quiet as any other night, except for that one day when he thought he saw a shadow move. He narrowed his eyes, sharp brown orbs searching every inch of darkness on the street. Only a pedestrian walking his dog neared his house, and two cars drove by. Nothing else stirred.

Tezuka left the window and changed out of his uniform before heading for the bathroom for a warm shower. When he returned, he sat at his desk, cleaning up his books and papers when he stopped for a moment and remembered the phone that was turned off and now sitting silently on his bed. Curious, he got up from his chair and picked up his cell, hesitating for a few seconds. And then, he turned it on. The familiar sound of the wireless service tune played its melodic tone. He waited patiently for the phone screen to load, or as patient as he can be at the moment, nearly deciding to just drop the phone back onto the bed when the window finally loaded. His eyes slowly enlarged, brown orbs widening more so than ever at the text reflecting back from the plastic encasing.

17 missed calls.

* * *

Fuji fell back onto his bed, placing his hands behind his head as he looked up at the ceiling. It was a rather long day, an unusual one too, and he sighed, feeling tired himself. He still wished he had asked to stay over at Tezuka's, but that was asking for trouble. After all, Fuji wasn't quite sure that he wouldn't lay his hands on the man, even though he promised himself that he wouldn't. So to play it safe, the tensai forcefully made himself return home, and now he was half regretting his decision. Well, perhaps tomorrow would be all right. Tezuka has a fast recovery streak, so he should be able to handle another round or two of sex tomorrow evening, right? He leaned on his side and reached out to grab the velvet pouch on his desk before lying back down. Dangling the pouch by the strings over his own face, he smiled warmly to himself, knowing very well what's in the bag. Surely Tezuka will like it, right? Although, he may first receive a lecture on how they're "too young to do something like that," and that they "must be responsible and accountable for their actions for this is not something to take too lightly." Fuji sighed, his heart fluttering at the thought of putting the ring on Tezuka's finger.

Suddenly, his cell phone ringtone went off, and Fuji answered the call, still lying on his bed. "Moshi moshi."

"Shuusuke."

"Ah, Saeki. How are you?"

"I'm good. But Shuusuke, I have something important to talk to you about," the Rokkaku regular said in a serious tone.

Fuji sat up, eyes blinking. "Hm?"

"This stalker, I'm concerned. He's already crossed the line. There's no telling what he might do next. You and Tezuka need to be careful."

Fuji nodded. "H-hai."

"Shuusuke, do you have any idea who it might be?"

Fuji thought about this for a moment. He hasn't been taking this seriously, but after today's incident, he knew he had to really look into the issue. It was starting to get out of hand. "I'll admit, I have a lot of fans. But to suspect a certain one in particular would be very difficult."

"I understand." On the other line, Saeki turned in his desk chair, resting his cheek against his fist as he leaned on his elbow on the armrest. "But I am relatively sure that it is one of the ones in the play, given that's a good place where he or she can closely monitor you and Tezuka. Plus, today's incident should be enough to confirm that the person responsible is definitely involved in the play."

"But how would we find out who it is?"

"I've been thinking about that problem." Saeki rubbed his chin. "One way is to lure the stalker out."

"Hm? How would we do that?" Fuji asked curiously.

"I'm not sure, but if we can set up a trap, perhaps we can catch the culprit before he or she does anything else dangerous."

"Good point."

"Anyway, I have to go now, but I wanted to just tell you to be careful from now on. I'll keep an eye on you too."

"H-hai, thank you."

"Night, Shuusuke."

Fuji hung up the phone and stared at the screen for a while before falling back onto the bed, staring up at the blank ceiling once more. Lure the stalker out? Hm, not a bad idea. But how would they do it? His hands tightened around the pouch for comfort, slightly uneasy about the whole matter. Perhaps he should be more careful from now on as Saeki suggested. Or rather, not let his guard down, as his Buchou would say.


	11. Chapter 11

**I hope that everyone enjoyed the holidays! **

* * *

Chapter 11

The sound of the hammer clashed repeatedly in the background of the auditorium.

_Bam._

Solid rock pounded into the hard wooden board.

_Bam._

Eyes stealthily peered over to where two individuals conversed in the corner.

_Bam._

The taller one took a step to the side, barking out an order to a few freshmen behind the stage.

_Bam._

A smile beamed from the tensai's face, those blue eyes closed as usual as the young third year nodded at something inaudible from the bespectacled man.

_Bam._

"Echizen!"

The freshman paused, a look of annoyance on his face as his hammer remained still in midair. "What, Momo-senpai?"

"You're doing it wrong," the second year grinned, bending at the knees. "The nails should be hammered into here." He pointed out the spot.

"Oi, I can't move the nails now!"

"It doesn't take that long to pry them out."

"Then I'll just add more nails to that spot!"

"Sheesh," Momoshiro stood up, frustrated. "You don't have to throw a fit and be all moody."

"Of course I do! Look at my hands!" The first year held up his fingers wrapped in bandages.

"Well, it's not my fault that your fingers ended up that way." He pulled out his wallet, peering grimly into it. "I wouldn't be going broke soon if it wasn't for this bet."

"Not my fault you started this stupid bet in the first place," Echizen grumbled.

"Oi, YOU were just as much into doing this as I was!"

"Echizen, Momoshiro! 20 laps at today's practice!"

"EH?"

Tezuka turned back around with a look of irritation on his face.

"I was going to say, Tezuka, shouldn't you be doing something about their constant distractions during rehearsal?" Atobe remarked, arriving next to the top two Seigaku regulars as he flipped his hair. "I think it's about time we get started. The great Atobe can't be left waiting."

Once again, if Tezuka was the type to roll his eyes, this would be one of the few times he would have.

Fuji chuckled. "I do believe it is time, but we'll have to wait for Tomo-chan to make the announcement."

"Places everyone!" the young girl bellowed out into the megaphone.

"I do believe that's the call."

Everyone rushed to their respective locations as Tezuka stepped off the stage to join the young director at the front. "I will be taking my leave now," he mentioned to Tomoka. "I have some matters to attend to."

"Hm," the young girl nodded.

As Tezuka left the room, he did not notice a pair of eyes following his exit.

* * *

Before noon, the bespectacled student council president made his way back to the auditorium. Everything seemed to finally be going well for once, and the clubs are even on schedule. It was a big relief for the third year, who was under a lot of stress the last few days. But today seemed to finally be calming down, and Tezuka found himself looking forward to the following week. If things keep up this way, then he can be more at ease and…

"Tezuka."

This is why the famous Buchou of Seigaku can never let his guard down.

"Aa, Sanada. What is it?"

The Rikkaidai vice-captain stood face to face with the Seigaku captain in the middle of the hallway. "I would like you to reconsider your decision on having a match with me."

Tezuka's face remained stoic. "Unfortunately, I cannot do that. Please excuse me-"

"Wait." Sanada immediately blocked the other man's path. "I'm not asking you, Tezuka." His eyes darkened with a dim shadow.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, his face as firm as usual. "Sanada, I have made my reasons very clear. Now excuse me," Tezuka walked passed him, accidentally bumping into the other vice-captain as he headed off down the hall.

Sanada turned around, his fists gripped tightly and shaking with fury. "Tezuka!"

Tezuka rounded a corner and sighed. Does Sanada not understand their positions? Tezuka would gladly like a match with the other man, but it would just be too inappropriate for them to do an unofficial one. He is willing to wait patiently until Nationals. Why can't Sanada? The man was clearly known for being a patient individual with his traditional background and strict training. But then, he has heard that Sanada was also known for having a temper with his own team.

"Tezuka."

But Atobe still topped Tezuka's list of person he least likely wanted to converse with, not that he converses with anyone that much to begin with.

"Aa, Atobe."

"Have you finished your runs?"

"Aa, quicker than usual."

"I see."

"You are all on break?"

"Yes." The Hyotei captain smirked, crossing his arms with those sharp eyes observing his rival with a knowing air. "How are you feeling?"

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked.

"That injury."

The bespectacled man was left speechless.

Atobe smirked some more. His eyes flickered, perusing the stoic man before him more closely. "Tezuka, it is pertinent that I of all people know when you have fully healed."

"If you're talking about my arm-"

"I mean your other injury."

Now, Tezuka was left completely confounded. Just what on earth is going on with…

"I sincerely hope that you are not planning a secret match without my knowledge," Sanada suddenly appeared behind the two conversing captains.

"Sanada, how nice to see you," Atobe smirked sarcastically.

Sanada eyed the Hyotei captain carefully. "Shouldn't you be in the bathroom somewhere fixing your hair?"

The Hyotei captain let out a hearty laugh before displaying his arms openly and announcing, "My hair is perfectly groomed. What else is there to fix?"

The Rikkaidai vice-captain glared. "I do believe the so-called great Atobe will not be so low as to do a match behind my back."

"Hm, this is interesting. Before, I thought you didn't care what was between Tezuka and I."

Tezuka pinched the bridge of his nose, annoyed and embarrassed as students passing by began to stop in their tracks to see what the commotion was about.

"As far as I'm concerned, there was nothing between you and Tezuka to begin with," Sanada bared his teeth.

"Are you jealous that _I_, the great Atobe Keigo, will be the first and _only_ one to officially defeat Tezuka?" The Hyotei man lifted his head up high with a confident smile, his hand held out over his chest.

"Ii data."

Both Atobe and Sanada blinked and looked to the side where the tall data collector stood before them, jotting into his notebook.

"This is certainly good information," he grinned in satisfaction, pushing up his glasses.

Blinking some more, the Hyotei and Rikkaidai regulars immediately glanced around them, seemingly confused.

"Oi, where did Tezuka go?" Atobe murmured.

Meanwhile, Tezuka was sneaking around a corner, avoiding the crowd as he finally found himself in a safe hallway. He breathed a sigh of relief, resting against the wall. Why is it that every time he felt that things were going smoothly, something gets thrown into his face? He rubbed the sides of his temples, groaning quietly. He hadn't had a headache recently, and now it was threatening to come back.

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka blinked and glanced down to find a very happy Jirou grinning up at him.

"Tezuka, I baked these for you." The young Hyotei man held up a new bag of freshly made chocolate chip cookies.

"Aa, thank-" Tezuka stopped his hand midway, remembering his promise to Fuji. "Gomen, but I cannot accept."

Jirou's eyes enlarged, completely shocked as his mouth fell ajar and the bespectacled man gently brushed passed him, heading down the hallway. The poor Hyotei regular stared, his lips trembling at the unexpectedness of the response as the bag of cookies shook in his hands, threatening to fall.

Tezuka walked quickly down the hall, slightly on edge. He had a feeling that today was not his day as he had hoped, and perhaps it'd be best for him to be even more on guard today. The student council room might be a good place to go back to. Not that he would be retreating. It would be just to get some more paperwork done of course.

Of course.

No, wait. Fuji might be there.

He turned a different corner and passed the locker room when he retraced his steps back and exclaimed, "Fuji!"

Fuji blinked, finding his Buchou at the door, those brown eyes wide open. "Ne, Tezuka," Fuji fully turned around with the bouquet of roses in his arms. "Don't worry, I was about to toss these."

"Aa," Tezuka stepped in, staring at the long-stemmed roses in his arms. "Even more than before."

"Hm," Fuji nodded. "And dethorned too. It must've taken the person a while this time." Fuji sighed and proceeded to dump the flowers into the trashcan. "Such a waste, but I understand." He promptly whirled around, confronting the bespectacled third year. "Now then, how about a reward for keeping my promise?"

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked. "What do you mean?"

"A reward. You know, as in…" the tensai leaned up dangerously. "A kiss."

Tezuka blushed and backed away. "Fuji, do you not know where we are?" he stressed disapprovingly.

Fuji immediately pouted, giving puppy eyes before throwing his arms around the taller man's neck. "I want a kiss, Ku-ni-mit-su."

Tezuka's face turned even redder, and as those pink lips threatened to come forward, he tried to push them away with his hand. "Oi, w-wait, Fuji!"

There was a sound of a footstep, and both individuals froze. Slowly, they turned to the side.

Standing at the door, the very nonexistant door to the locker room, was Jirou, his eyes blinked blankly at the sight before him. The Hyotei regular noted the hands around Tezuka's neck, those pink lips perched up drastically, and the flustered look on the Seigaku captain's face. In general, he was speechless.

"Oh, Jirou. Is break almost over?" Fuji smiled, releasing his hold on Tezuka and heading towards the door. He watched as the Hyotei regular's eyes followed him closely. And then, right before exiting, Fuji threw his infamous, notorious smile as blue eyes snapped open with a silent triumphant gleam at the other third year.

Meanwhile, Tezuka readjusted his collar, coughing into his hand before regaining his composure and heading for the door. "Aa, Jirou, it would seem it's about time to return to your rehearsal," he said monotonously, passing by the third year quickly and not wanting to see whatever expression the Hyotei regular was making. If anything, Tezuka would rather not know what the third year thought of when he saw him in a rather…inappropriate position, and on school grounds of all places. This is where he would agree that ignorance is bliss.

* * *

Saeki leaned back against the tree, enjoying the shade and the peacefulness after his delicious lunch. It was a sunny warm day, and a good majority of the students were outside to take advantage of the welcoming weather.

"Seigaku offers some pretty delicious meals," Bane noted, also sitting against the same tree on the grassy lawn.

"Hm," Saeki responded. "It's a good school." He closed his eyes, relaxing when he felt a hand gently brush against his cheeks. Peering with one eye open, he saw Bane up close, his face only a few inches away. The tall Rokkaku regular's arm hovered over the silvery white-haired man's head, leaning against the bark for support.

"Saeki."

"What."

"Why don't you come over to my place tonight?"

Saeki opened the other eye and looked away. "I'm busy."

Bane leaned in closer, whispering into the other's ear. "Saeki."

The vice-captain shivered, feeling a strange tingling sensation trickle down his insides as his cheeks blushed slightly and he refused to look at the other. "I said I'm busy." The hand now precariously traveled to Saeki's collar, tracing downward before undoing a single button and brushing against the skin.

Saeki stiffened his gasps as he shut his eyes tight, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "Bane. Stop."

"You wouldn't want me to stop," Bane whispered, licking Saeki's ear.

Saeki trembled some more, finding his breathing erratic. "I'm serious."

"You let me do you that time."

"I wasn't myself."

"That's not true. You enjoyed it."

Saeki opened his eyes and blushed furiously, staring at his knees. He remembered that day. He was so upset for days after losing that tournament against Tezuka and, mostly, losing Fuji. He had wallowed in his pain, although mostly secretly instead of in front of his teammates. And then Bane came by his house one evening to check up on him…

He was alone. He hadn't been thinking straight. That's right. He was emotionally unstable. He was vulnerable. His logic was completely shot and still recuperating

But even so, even if that was the case, he could not deny the feelings the other man made him feel, the passion the other man showered over him as he devoured him, nor the way the other man made him cry out in utter ecstasy…

Saeki promptly pushed Bane away, surprising the other man. "Um, not now, Bane."

Bane paused for a moment, slightly hurt, before giving a kind smile. "I understand." He went back to resting his back against the tree.

Saeki sighed silently before relaxing himself as well. He looked up at the sky.

At the thought of Fuji and Tezuka, he remembered their current predicament. Everything has seemed rather odd and suspicious lately. The anonymous gifts, the stalking, and even the dangerous incident from yesterday with the stage prop – who would go that far? It's true that Fuji has a lot of suitors, but still, after the last incident, this has become a rather seriously disturbing issue. He brainstormed about the possible suspects. Well, that could be anyone, but yesterday pretty much proved that it was someone working on the play. That still leaves a large pool of suspects. Saeki knew they still don't have solid proof, but given the information he has, the stalker was also suspected to be one of the ones watching Seigaku's practice that one day. That narrows it down to Hyotei and Rikkaidai. But one of the regulars from the other schools could've stayed and lingered behind secretly. Fudomine and Rokkaku were still in the mix, but he wanted to nick his own team from the list. He highly doubt anyone on his team has a crush on Fuji, and even though he himself had been in love with the tensai, he knew of course he himself wasn't the one responsible for everything happening this past week. There was also the possibility of Seigaku's own teammates. That redhead, Kikumaru, seemed to be quite clingy to the tensai. The second year, the sociable Momoshiro, he seemed to be quite fond of Fuji as well.

Saeki shook his head to himself, attracting the attention of Bane.

"Something up, Saeki?"

Saeki didn't respond and only proceeded to continue to stare up at the sky. No, it also seems unlikely that Seigaku's own would do something so drastic. But then, almost anyone is capable of doing something like yesterday. So, who is it?

"Saeki?"

Saeki blinked and looked at his friend who returned a concerned gaze. Relaxing his brows, the Rokkaku regular returned his focus to the sky. "I may be busy tonight. But I'm free for dinner."

Bane paused for a moment before his mouth curved into a small smile.

* * *

There would appear to be some strange, unknown tension residing in the auditorium after lunch that day. Saeki couldn't quite pinpoint what, but his senses were very keen to those things, and right now, it was definitely feeling the tension. His dark green eyes surveyed the room. Sanada seemed to be throwing a rather unpleasant glare at the haughty Hyotei captain smirking back at him. Well, that was probably normal. The Rikkaidai individual was never fond of the "great Atobe." On the other side, the Fudomine captain appeared to be in deep thought, brooding over something unknown. Beneath the stage, Yukimura sat with a pleasant smile in a seat at the front row, his legs crossed and his eyes calmly gleaming towards the center of the stage.

Tezuka and Fuji conversed with Oishi, discussing some tennis matters most likely. A couple feet away, the redheaded Kikumaru appeared to have a rather unsettled look on his face, and was pacing around in circles as though something was worrying him.

Saeki sighed. This auditorium was filled with suspects, and he hasn't even observed everyone! Suddenly, someone bumped into him in the aisle. "Oi!"

"Gomen!" the bubbly Jirou blinked, apologizing shortly before running down towards the stage.

"Sheesh, a little clumsy there," Saeki crossed his arms.

Back on stage, Tezuka and Oishi parted in their separate ways. The tensai, meanwhile, stood at the same spot and reflected on the conversation. Tezuka was definitely against the idea of luring the stalker out, believing it to be dangerous and reckless. He also protested when the tensai offered using himself as bait. Fuji sighed, slightly disappointed. Although Oishi didn't completely oppose the idea, he didn't support it either, and Fuji was actually a little excited at the prospect of luring the stalker out. He would like to enact his revenge on whoever was responsible for hurting Tezuka. Shaking his head, he headed towards the steps and walked down, wanting to ask Tomoka a question when Jirou appeared a few feet away.

The two stopped before crossing each other's paths.

Sleepy eyes met hidden ones. Fuji noted the Hyotei regular examining him closely, that carefree smile no longer there, only to be replaced by something unusual. The tensai smiled. "Yes, Jirou?"

Jirou waited for a moment. "Fuji, what is your relationship with Tezuka?"

That same smile and pair of closed eyes remained unmoving on the tensai's face. "What do you mean?"

Jirou paused again, eyes carefully considering the mysterious Seigaku third year. And then, he looked away. "Never mind."

"Hm." Fuji made out about to pass him by when he suddenly leaned his face forward, surprising Jirou.

The Hyotei third year found himself blinking at the mercy of crystal clear, mesmerizing blue eyes that reflected back at him with a piercing gaze.

"You best know your place," Fuji smiled before leaning back and walking passed him.

The Hyotei regular's heart pounded, hearing those cryptic words echo in his mind, before whirling around to find the tensai distancing himself further away towards the bottom center of the stage.

Meanwhile, the perceptive Rokkaku vice-captain decided to stroll on to the front row where the Rikkaidai captain sat alone, seemingly enjoying himself. "Yukimura Buchou," he addressed politely.

The famous third year slowly turned his head at a glance and smiled friendly at the young man standing over the seats behind him. "Hm, you're Saeki Koijirou, Rokkaku's vice-captain."

"Hai," he nodded. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Do go on ahead," Yukimura grinned pleasantly.

Somehow, Saeki felt that he wasn't quite settled by that grin. It was too calm, too pleasant, too…

Ambiguous. "I can't help but notice that your vice-captain, Sanada, seems to have a rivalry with Atobe."

Yukimura nodded. "Hm, yes. But his main rivalry is with Tezuka. Atobe can never hold up against Sanada."

"I see." Saeki gleamed over the stage to where Sanada and Atobe appeared to maintain a glaring war. "So his main goal is still Tezuka?"

"Yes."

"Why does he want to beat Tezuka so badly?"

"Everyone wants to beat Tezuka."

"True," Saeki carefully watched the individuals on stage. "Have they played together before?"

"Yes, long ago. Sanada…lost to Tezuka."

Saeki blinked, surprised. "Have you played against Tezuka?"

"Yes."

"And what was the result?"

Yukimura's calm, vague eyes closed in amusement. "That is something between Tezuka, Sanada, and I."

"I see," Saeki felt his heart skip a beat for some unknown reason. "So ever since Sanada lost, he has been determined to defeat Tezuka one day."

Smooth lids opened, revealing those vague, calm, silent, ocean deep eyes that slowly glanced upwards and gleamed over the silvery white-haired third year, piercing through his very soul in a silent, heart stopping, cold, eerie manner. Those lips grinned. "I suggest you stay out of my vice-captain's business, Fukou Buchou Saeki Kojirou."

There was something off, something strange, something demeaning, something deeply disturbing and unsettling in that pleasant, steady, unwavering, soft tone of the Rikkaidai captain, and the Rokkaku vice-captain found his heart pounding hard twice in large thumps. He smiled and said apologetically, "Gomen. I didn't mean to intrude."

"It's all right," Yukimura smiled friendly again, returning his attention back to the stage. "It would appear the rehearsal is about to start. You best be getting back, Saeki."

"H-hai…" Saeki promptly left, glad that he was leaving that extremely suffocating conversation behind. Somehow, he felt that he just had a very small taste of why many feared the one deemed the Son of God. There was something remarkable, something overpowering, something strong and sturdy and mesmerizing about the quiet, pleasant Rikkaidai captain. And that all made it the more frightening. The third year was surly no ordinary third year in the middle school world.

"Places everyone!" Tomoka called out into the megaphone. "We're going to do scene…"

As the young director made the announcement, Fuji stood ready when he was unexpectedly pulled on by the arm. He glanced over his shoulder to find in amusement a rather worried and agitated cute redhead sniveling behind him. "Ne, Eiji, what's the matter?" He smiled kindly.

"Fujiko, I, I, I have to ask you something later. Um…" he began shaking, his hand tightening on his best friend's arm. "I can't say too much here. But it's about Oishi."

"Oh?" Fuji raised his eyebrows.

"Last night, he, he," the redhead's eyes were trembling. The poor acrobatic boy was clearly shaken.

Fuji could only guess at what may have happened. He smiled and said in a gentle, comforting voice, "Don't worry. We can talk about this later after rehearsal, okay? Eiji." He petted his friend on the head.

Kikumaru immediately perked up, as though a small load was taken off. He nodded. "Fujiko! You're the best!"

"Oi, we got rehearsal! What are you two doing?" Atobe scolded.

Kikumaru threw a childish look and stuck out his tongue at the Hyotei captain before quickly running away, much to Atobe's annoyance.

"Gomen, Atobe. Please excuse him," Fuji laughed.

The Hyotei captain only grumbled some incomprehensible reply.

"Okay, now, listen," Tomoka continued into the megaphone. "We have given this particular scene a lot of thought and discussed this in great detail, and have come to decide that in order to make sure this is the best play that Seigaku has ever hosted," she took a deep breath, "we will be having a real kiss between Romeo and Juliet!"

"What?" Both Atobe and Tezuka exclaimed, their eyes widening in shock and disbelief at what they just heard as a few others gasped in the background.

"Oi, what is this?" Sanada demanded, stepping out from the side of the stage. "This is ridiculous. Two men cannot kiss! It's bad enough you have two men playing the lead roles!"

"I agree. Isn't this going a little too far?" Tachibana chimed in, a concerned look on his face.

"I don't think I want to see two men kissing," Kamio murmured, feeling as though he would hurl at the thought.

"Hm? Didn't they agree before that they would be doing a pretend kiss?" Aoi blinked, clearly confused.

"But it's Fuji. Technically, he's not a complete male, 'cause you know, he's quite Bishie," Davide joked before getting smacked in the back of the head.

"Shut-up, Davide!" Bane shook his fist as his teammate groaned and glared at him.

"Who made the decision on this?" Atobe demanded, exasperated.

"We did," Tomoka stuck both hands on her hips.

"And who's _we_, little girl?" he asked in a condescending tone.

Tomoka pointed at the group of girls in the back who were giggling silently to themselves.

"Oi, I don't believe we have Tezuka's approval on this!" Atobe argued.

"I agree with Atobe. This is inappropriate," Tezuka stared down at the young freshman girl next to him. "Why has this not been discussed with me?"

"But Tezuka Buchou," Tomoka frowned, "We want this play to be as accurate as it can be, right?"

"It does not need to be _that_ accurate," Tezuka stressed sternly.

"Hm, I don't really mind," Fuji remarked light-heartedly on stage.

"Fuji!"

"Oi, I'm not agreeing to this," Atobe said, crossing his arms at the smiling tensai standing before him.

"But Atobe, surely someone as literate as you is well aware of how back then, Shakespearean plays were all played by men, including the female parts," Tomoka changed the tone in her voice, a sly glint gleaming in her eyes.

Atobe's ear twitched.

"And someone as well educated with such an impressive background would definitely do his best to not disappoint in representing one of history's greatest plays."

The Hyotei captain's eyebrow flinched.

Upon seeing the noticeable change in the man playing Romeo, Tezuka was getting rather concerned and proceeded to take the stairs up to the stage. Meanwhile, in the back, Momoshiro nudged Echizen with a smirk. "Hey, how about a bet on this one?"

Those large cat-like green eyes rolled up at the second year. "You don't think I can do it?"

"I bet you can't," Momoshiro winked.

Echizen smirked. He reached behind him, and slowly and quietly unzipped his tennis bag on the floor.

"So, Atobe, what say you on the matter? Will you lead this wonderful play to its glory in one of the best interschool festivals ever organized?" Tomoka declared with a dramatic flair, masking her eagerness.

Atobe tapped his finger on his elbow. Hm, she does have a point. He_ is_ the glorious Atobe Keigo after all. He glanced at Fuji, who continued to smile the same smile before him.

"Oi, just a minute here," Tezuka barked, marching straight across the stage towards the two leads.

In the back, Echizen juggled a tennis ball in one hand, his tennis racket lingering readily in the other. Sharp, green eyes zoned in on the back of the Hyotei captain's head, then darted to the face of the tensai still smiling, then glanced back to the Hyotei captain's head.

"Piece of cake," Echizen smirked.

Momoshiro smiled in excitement. "I can't wait to see Atobe's face when he plants his lips on Fuji." He tried to maintain his giddiness. "Of course, that's assuming that you can _do it_, Echizen."

The ball stopped bouncing in Echizen's hand. The young freshman's eyes flashed with a bright glint as his mouth replied with a grin, "But of course, Momo-senpai." And then, the ball was flung high into the air, the object spinning up and slowing down as it reached its peak before falling back down with accelerating speed.

Atobe considered the tensai carefully, his mind reasoning with his current predicament and his duties as a Hyotei captain playing the lead role. He carefully observed those lips, those soft, pink lips that were unusual for a male to possess.

"Ha!" Echizen grunted, whacking the ball hard with his racket. The ball spun, flying at an intense and impressive speed as it ripped through the air.

"I strongly oppose this," Tezuka stepped in between Fuji and Atobe. "I will not allow this kiss to take place in-"

Suddenly, the ball smacked right into the middle of the back of Atobe's head, sending the Hyotei man's face flying forward and crashing straight into Tezuka's lips.

Sanada's jaw dropped. Echizen and Momoshiro's faces went deathly pale. Kamio held his mouth as though holding in his stomach. Jirou looked like he was about to faint. Saeki gaped in utter disbelief. Fuji blinked. Tachibana looked as though a truck was about to hit him.

And then, the auditorium has never been more silent than ever, save for the tennis ball that slowly bounced away off stage in this building that currently hosts some of the best and most renowned tennis players to have ever appeared in the middle school world, an event that doesn't occur except every ten years or so. But that day, at that moment, the gathering was not about tennis, nor was it about who was the best. For right now, all the regulars in the room were staring in shock as they witnessed two of the most famous, most admired, most respected captains in the middle school tennis world locking lips.

Dark silver eyes stared at horrified brown ones. Deep brown orbs stared at horrified silver ones.

The two captains were frozen in their places by the impact. And then, after a long awkward pause, both pulled back and turned away, coughing and gagging and spitting in utter disgust over their knees.

Atobe wiped his lips, an extremely flustered look on his face. He did not…he did not just kiss another man.

And his rival at that.

In front of everyone.

Tezuka brushed his lips against his sleeve repeatedly until they turned painfully red, a rather shaken look on his face. Oh gosh. What just happened?

"We're so dead," Momoshiro squeaked, his eyes glancing left to right for an escape while Echizen stood frozen in place, the racket glued to his cold sweaty hand as he gulped.

Fuji's hand went up to his mouth. "Oh my," he said. "That was surely unexpected." That's when he heard footsteps approaching behind him. Turning around, he found Jirou, still shakily recovering from the scene just now, slowly walk forward before stopping just a feet away.

"Fuji," he began.

Fuji blinked, dropping his hand back to his side as he observed the other curiously.

Jirou stood, strong determination in his eyes. "Let's have a match."

Both Atobe and Tezuka, startled, raised their heads at those words as they turned around to find their respective team members facing each other.

Fuji's clear blue eyes carefully and calmly watched those steady orbs of the normally sleepy Jirou standing before him.

Everyone remained still.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The tension ran rather stiff in the cold air of the auditorium as the sleepy Hyotei faced the tensai of Seigaku. Neither men moved while their eyes watched each other carefully, waiting for the other to stir, like two predators in the jungle patiently observing the other after treading onto each other's territory. Both individuals—one who always had a friendly smile with eyes mysteriously hidden away, and one who always seemed so sleepy and lazy—harbored something dangerous within them, only revealing their true selves out on the courts in the world of middle school tennis. Right now, the cards appeared to have been revealed, as the tensai now has crystal clear blue eyes opened, and the Hyotei third year no longer had the sleepy appearance of one who had just woken up.

"Oi, what is the meaning of this? Jirou!" Atobe demanded, immediately marching over to his teammate as he temporarily forgot about his previous kiss with the Seigaku captain just moments before. He grabbed his teammate by the shoulder. "You can't go challenging our rival school's team unauthorized!"

"It would appear you like to play with fire, Jirou," Fuji replied with a grin, ignoring Atobe's presence, a flash flickering across his frightening eyes. "Shall we settle this?"

Tezuka furrowed his eyebrows, barking sternly, "Oi, Fuji! You're not thinking about accepting this match, are you?"

Kikumaru nudged Kawamura from near the back of the stage, whispering, "Ne, isn't Jirou crazy? He can never beat Fujiko. It'll be like walking into the lion's den."

Kawamura nodded. "I agree."

"What is going on?" Niou from Rikkaidai scratched the back of his head, clearly confused. "Since when did these two have a rivalry?"

"Tomorrow is a half day since it's Saturday. So, right after rehearsal." Jirou promptly continued, a surprising steady demeanor in his mannerism. "Let's meet in the community court near this school."

"Then it's settled." Fuji lowered his gaze, his smile widening.

"Oi, are you two not listening?" Atobe scolded, annoyed. "Neither Tezuka nor I have agreed for this match to happen. And why on earth are you suddenly challenging Fuji?"

"Atobe's right," Sanada added, stepping in. "As much as I hate saying that. But you two can't just have a match like that." He further murmured quietly under his breath, "Since I can't."

"You two are not allowed to have a match," Tezuka stood between the two, his eyes narrowing disapprovingly. "And that is final."

"I feel the same way," Atobe crossed his arms firmly. "Is that clear?"

There was a momentary pause as everyone else glanced at each other wearily, confounded by this abrupt and unexpected scene, and wondered just how these two who seem to be rebellious at the moment will now react to their captains' orders. And then…

"Agreed," Fuji suddenly smiled, eyes closed again.

"Okay," Jirou grinned, that lively merry demeanor returned.

And just like that, the tension was dispelled. Both Atobe and Tezuka blinked, slightly taken back, and watched the two individuals swiftly turn around, with Jirou casually walking away and Fuji remaining where he was as though nothing had happened.

For a second, both rival captains stood there with their mouths slightly ajar, speechless. Then, with that event seemingly settled and efficiently dealt with, they shouted out orders for rehearsal to continue.

That is, not before Tezuka added, "Echizen! Momoshiro! 500 laps each week for two months!"

* * *

The auditorium was dark that early evening, save for the stage lights left on, as the majority of the students had left the premise. All school activities were done for the day, and everyone was free to go home to rest in preparation for Saturday's morning duties, which would only last half a day before the students would be released for the weekend.

Tezuka stood at the corner of the stage, staring at the empty platform as the lights from above illuminated the floor underneath his feet, bringing out the rich shadow of his tall frame. The area had just been cleaned by the janitor, leaving everything unusually spotless and clear. The stage props had been all put away in the back, with tools placed in their respective boxes, and fabric for the costumes stashed in the small cupboards nearby.

The Seigaku captain sighed, his hands in his blue tennis sweatpants and tennis bag hanging over his shoulder. The week had been rough, he had to admit, and he wasn't just thinking about his student council duties. The bespectacled man glanced around the empty room, his eyes overlooking the vast chairs. Who is this stalker? Why has he been so persistent, and recently, even dangerous? Tezuka was growing increasingly worried about the situation, and after the last incident, he now fears for Fuji's safety. Would the stalker go so far as to kidnap the tensai? If he was willing to try to take out Tezuka himself with the stage prop, perhaps he may go so far as to find ways to forcefully take Fuji. Possibly secretly drug him, then drag him back to his house, and maybe…

Wait, this sounds familiar. Well, no, that was different. Fuji did that to him for a different reason. Okay, so obviously what Fuji did to him wasn't entirely right, but the tensai just went about it the wrong way of doing it.

Tezuka took off his glasses and pinched his nose, crinkling his brows before putting the glasses back on. This was getting rather tiring. He is starting to lose his patience on capturing this culprit.

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka glanced over his shoulder, finding Fuji joining him. The tensai was also in his tennis gear, having just arrived from the clubhouse. "Something wrong?"

The bespectacled man watched the tensai carefully before returning his attention to the stage. "Just thinking."

Fuji smiled. "I was wondering where you were going when you said you'd be right back. Luckily, I guessed here."

"You were supposed to wait for me in the clubhouse."

"I got impatient," Fuji beamed, slightly nudging Tezuka playfully.

The taller man gazed down, his stoic, wooden face observing that friendly smile on the tensai's own. "Fuji, I know you're still planning on having that match with Jirou tomorrow."

"Eh?" Fuji opened his eyes, surprised as he is caught off guard, a slight sweat drop appearing on his forehead. "Oh, hehe. What do you mean?"

"Fuji," Tezuka stressed, narrowing his eyes.

Fuji sighed. "But Tezuka,"

"I said no."

Fuji winced. Why is it that Tezuka seems to have the magical ability to see through him at the worst possible time? "But, I was just thinking…"

"Hm?" Tezuka turned to him with stern brown orbs.

"Well, this whole secret admirer thing-"

"Stalker."

Fuji sighed. "Stalker-is probably starting to get to you. So," his eyes slyly rolled upwards, "don't you think it's time we lure this stalker out?"

Tezuka thought for half a second over this request once more. "No."

Fuji felt like he was about to fall over. "Tezuka!"

"It is irresponsible of you to use that as a poor excuse to have a match with Jirou."

"But Tezuka! Don't you see," Fuji threw out his hand, "I'm fighting in the name of your hand. Just as you did for me when you fought against Saeki!"

"We didn't fight, we played tennis."

"Exactly!"

"That was an entirely different situation."

"How so?"

Tezuka stopped, finding himself at a loss for words. "Because…Oi! I already said, no unauthorized matches. Atobe agreed too."

Fuji rolled his eyes, snickering. "Of course he would agree. Especially after having a kiss like that."

"Fuji!" Tezuka cried out, his face immediately flustered and red.

The tensai eyed his Buchou carefully before blue orbs flashed with clear intention. He threw his arms around the taller man, surprising him. "Ne, Tezuka," he purred, tracing those startled lips with his thumb. "How about I take that foul aftertaste off your mouth." He leaned in, whispering, "Monkey King's taste is bothering you, isn't it?"

Tezuka blinked, his cheeks red as he tried to pry the tensai off of him. "Fuji, it was an accident."

"Then let me 'fix' that accident." Immediately, Fuji latched his lips onto Tezuka's, pulling him downwards closer to him as he devoured the other man's mouth.

Tezuka's eyes widened in shock. He gasped into that hot mouth that kissed him mercilessly, exchanging saliva with him as the warm tongue explored his caverns freely, demandingly, possessively. He felt his breathing grow erratic as he staggered, trying to prevent himself from falling. But Fuji refused to release him, and his mouth ordered through hot wet kisses more and more. Tezuka shut his eyes, his heart pounding excitedly, before snapping them open again at Fuji daringly kneeing his groin. He immediately pulled back, the trail of saliva apparent between them. "Fuji!"

_Clank._

Both Tezuka and Fuji froze, and they slowly turned their heads to the row of dark empty seats out in the open. The haunting echo of that sound dissipated over the walls as the clear breathing of the supposedly only two occupants in the room followed right after. And then, Tezuka was fast. Really fast.

"Tezuka!" Fuji watched as Tezuka leaped off the stage swiftly, landing smoothly on his two feet before sprinting up the aisle towards the entrance to the auditorium.

The bespectacled man's hawk like eyes went on high alert as he scanned the room, his heart pounding in excitement. He whirled around, looking here and there in the dimness. Where? Where was he? Tezuka knew for sure that the stalker must be in the room, and whoever it was most likely just witnessed what happened.

And he was going to catch him.

Tezuka ran through a row, checking the ground for any signs of someone hiding amongst the sea of dark empty seats.

Fuji hopped off the stage. "Tezuka?"

He's here. He must be! Tezuka was so sure of himself. The stalker was here just now. He checked underneath the seats.

Nothing.

He glanced up across the other side.

Stillness.

His eyes flew to the doors at the entrance.

No movement.

Tezuka's breathing grew staggered in frustration as he looked around, his paranoia setting in. No, did he just lose him? But he was just here! He couldn't have gotten away so quickly.

"Tezuka?"

The bespectacled man jumped at the hand on his shoulder, and he whirled around, finding Fuji looking extremely concerned.

"Tezuka? I think he ran away."

Tezuka swallowed, still panting from having sprinted so quickly. "No, he's not too far."

"Tezuka," Fuji gently tightened his grip. "Let's just go home. I think you've dealt with enough."

The unusual look of concern in the tensai's eyes calmed Tezuka's nerves, and the bespectacled man nodded, steadying his breathing. "Okay."

* * *

"You didn't have to come over."

"Nonsense," Fuji smiled, sitting next to Tezuka on his bed. "You know it's not any trouble for me."

Tezuka thought about the irony in that response. Of course it was of no trouble. Fuji never dropped an opportunity to walk home with him and enter his room, especially on a Friday night, when no one was currently home in his house, and it was starting to get late.

In Inui's own words, there was a 100 percent chance that Fuji would be staying over tonight. And there was a 99 percent chance that Tezuka would have trouble walking tomorrow.

The bespectacled man sighed. The two had already changed out of their tennis outfits and into their nightwear after coming home and deciding to skip dinner, both already tired from the long day of activities. What a coincidence that Fuji just _happened_ to bring his pajamas. But after today's tennis practice (which Momoshiro and Echizen considered to be their most hellish practice ever, and for good reason), Tezuka was in better spirits from the hot shower he had just taken, which relaxed his body and mind.

Fuji, on the other hand, was rather disappointed that they had taken showers separately, with Tezuka immediately throwing a towel at Fuji first and telling him to shower before him while he went to call his parents to let them know that his teammate would be staying over. Thus, the disgruntled tensai reluctantly went to the bath first. But now, the two have changed, and both were sitting on Tezuka's bed. This was Fuji's territory.

Despite being Tezuka's bed.

The tensai smiled coyly at Tezuka. "Ne, sorry that I'm crashing at your place all of a sudden. I hope you don't mind me sleeping over."

"No, it's okay." Although secretly, Tezuka was thinking, _you never want to just "sleep over."_

Fuji cocked his head slightly at an angle, watching the bespectacled man sit stiffly, back straight with sharp discipline, and two hands curled into tight fists besides him. The tensai noted how Tezuka never ceased to let his guard down, and was now avoiding his eyes, staring only ahead in a military manner. "Tezuka," Fuji gently placed a hand on Tezuka's right thigh, feeling the tenseness in those muscles. "Are you nervous?"

Tezuka paused for a moment before sighing secretly in resignation. "Aa."

"But why?" Fuji rubbed his palm slowly against Tezuka's thigh in a sensual manner, noting that stoic, stubborn face threatening to break as anxiety was clear in those deep brown eyes.

"Because I know what you're going to do."

"Oh?" Fuji raised his brows, amused. Tezuka is so cute whenever they're about to 'do it.' Fuji leaned up, whispering seductively into that ear that was now blushing red, "Then tell me, Kunimitsu. What do you think I'm going to do?" Fuji slid his hand into the inner corners of that large thigh.

Tezuka sucked in his breath, his heart beating fast, really fast, as he stiffened his body at the intimate sensation. "What you always do."

Fuji licked Tezuka's ear playfully, emitting a shiver. "And what's that?" Fuji moved his hand over Tezuka's groin, watching the other clench his eyes shut and begin biting his lip. "I want to hear your voice, Tezuka," Fuji blew hotly into that ear, his eyes peering downward to watch in satisfaction a bulge begin to appear in those pants.

Suddenly, the sound of a ringtone blared across the room, making both individuals jump as the mood was broken. Fuji's blue eyes shot daggers at the cell phone that rang and rang on the top of Tezuka's desk. And then, he sighed as he watched in disappointment the bespectacled man move away from him to reach for the phone to answer it.

"Moshi moshi."

Silence.

Tezuka paused for a moment. He took a quiet deep breath. "Moshi moshi," he said more sternly.

_Click._

He stared at the phone, annoyed, before putting it back on the desk.

"Who was it?" Fuji asked.

"No one."

Fuji watched the taller man carefully.

The phone rang again. Tezuka immediately answered it. "Oi!"

_Click._

The bespectacled man growled, losing his patience.

"Tezuka, have you been getting anonymous calls?" the tensai asked, surprised.

"Aa."

"What? And you haven't told me?" Fuji cried out. "How long has this been happening? Is it the secret admirer?"

"Stalker."

"I mean, how many times has he called you?"

"Possibly over 40 times in the last few days."

"What? And you didn't tell me?" Fuji was getting exasperated. How could Tezuka leave out this important information?

"It was not necessary for you to know."

"Of course it was necessary for me to know!" Fuji retorted. He crossed his arms. "I'm not happy about this, Tezuka."

Tezuka stood there, watching the tensai give him that look. "Gomen."

Fuji sighed at the usual dry manner Tezuka speaks. "Ne, I thought we wouldn't keep secrets from each other-"

The ringtone blared again. This time, Fuji swiped the phone away from Tezuka's hand. He stared at the "Unknown Caller" display on the screen.

"Oi, Fuji, what are you-"

"Moshi moshi," Fuji answered. There was a noticeable gasp over the other line. The tensai smiled slowly, his eyes suspiciously peering into the receiver. So, the caller didn't expect himself to pick up the phone, Fuji thought. Slowly, the tensai set the phone on speaker phone mode and placed it gingerly on the table. Without warning, he pulled Tezuka by the collar and threw him back down onto the bed.

"Fuji!" Tezuka cried out, surprised as Fuji immediately straddled him, that dangerous look in his eyes that revealed he was plotting something. "What, what are you doing?"

Fuji traced Tezuka's cheek gracefully as he licked his lips in anticipation, sitting on top of him. "How about we put on a little show?"

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked, confused when he suddenly turned his head to the side to see his cell phone sitting at the edge of his desk. His eyes widened in horror, and he looked back at the tensai. "Fuji! No-" His breath was caught off as Fuji rubbed his own groin against Tezuka's, rolling back and forth slowly, deeply to create an electrifying friction. "S-stop! Fuji! Haa!" Tezuka arched his back, his heart pounding rapidly as Fuji dry humped him, the tensai's hands sliding up and down his chest before pinching his nipples hard. "Ah!" Tezuka's mouth was clasped over by a pair of hot lips kissing him hungrily as though his possessive lover had been famished. He groaned into the mouth, eyes peering wearily out of the corners at the cell phone still sitting precariously on the edge of the table. He turned to his side, gasping for much needed breath, as Fuji trailed his tongue down the edge of his neck and bit him, nibbling playfully to emit more sounds out of him. "Fuji, why…you…" Tezuka cried out loudly in short raspy gasps as Fuji's hand groped him through the cloth between his legs, squeezing and pumping and massaging.

"Kunimitsu," Fuji purred rather loudly, watching that Adam's apple bob up and down in that tempting throat. "I want you." He grabbed the waistband and tugged it down, letting that long hard-on stand up tall into the air before engulfing his mouth over the head.

"Ohhh!" Tezuka quickly covered his mouth, stifling his cries as his eyes darted to the phone once more.

Fuji licked the shaft, tasting the salty delicate skin and leaving small tiny bites that sent the man shivering uncontrollably. Delicious. Just delicious. And then, he paused, lifting up his head with a coy smile. "Ne, Tezuka, let me hear you."

Tezuka shook his head. "Turn off that phone!" He whispered furiously.

Fuji grinned wider and sucked him hard, making Tezuka cry out in a wonderful erotic voice that he was unable to stiffen himself. Fuji stroked the man, pumping that shaft and licking and licking, sucking it and pulling back to create loud pop sounds purposefully. He massaged those balls, squeezing them in his palms and running his tongue at the tip to further drive the other man wild.

Finally, Tezuka couldn't take it anymore, and his fingers wrapped around the blankets underneath him, twisting the cloth drastically before the bespectacled man shook madly and let out a low raspy grunt as he shot off into the tensai's mouth.

Fuji swallowed in satisfaction, enjoying the sight of the flustered man heaving and weaving at the intensity of the oral pleasure he had just received. The tensai wiped the corners of his mouth and crawled up the bed, whispering into Tezuka's flushed ear, "Let's make sure he enjoys every moment of this."

"What…?" Tezuka barely breathed in his dazed gaze as he is turned onto his stomach, his shirt now sweaty. And then, he felt his shorts tugged down to his ankles. Eyes blinking, he glanced over his shoulder and yelped in shock as two fingers stuck straight into his entrance without warning. "Fuji, stop, no. Let's not do this. Turn it off-"

"Relax, Kunimitsu," Fuji bit the top of his ear as he used a finger from each hand to probe that warm cavern simultaneously, wetting it with the lotion he quickly lathered on from the bottle next to the bed. "I'm just giving you what you need."

"You always say that," Tezuka bit sarcastically in a murmur. He hissed as a finger brushed against that bundle of nerves, causing his toes to curl deeper against the blanket.

"Ah, you take it for granted," Fuji purred seductively. "This is how I show my love for you."

Fuji stuck in two more fingers, sliding in and out between hands as he watched Tezuka claw the bed, stifling his moans against the pillow by biting it. The tensai smiled, amused, and he purposely said loud and clear, "I want you Kunimitsu. Only you can make me want you so badly." Sure, it probably sounded a little overly dramatic, like Atobe reciting his lines in the play, but it was what was needed for whoever was listening on the other line of that phone. Fuji propped Tezuka onto his knees, lifting up the waist and positioning it before easing himself into that inviting entrance. He felt the other man quiver, and he gasped himself at the feeling of those wonderful contractions hugging his own aching length. He moved in deeper, sucking in his breath and sighing once fully in, grateful for being one with this man.

Tezuka moaned into the pillow, tears stinging his eyes as he groaned at the hungry thrusts that began to pound against his prostrate. Fuji moved rhythmically with him, holding onto his waist for support as the tensai bit through the shirt on his back. The Seigaku captain's eyes stared at the phone. What if it wasn't the stalker? What if it was someone he knew? Well, most likely the stalker was someone they knew. But still, it didn't change the fact that whoever it is obviously is hearing everything that is going on right at this moment. And it was extremely humiliating knowing that fact. Just what is Fuji thinking?

"Let him hear your voice, Tezuka," Fuji breathed, seeing the obvious anxiety in Tezuka's face. "Let him know how much you enjoy taking it from me, and how much I enjoy giving it to you." Fuji thrust in hard, making Tezuka lift up his head and give a sharp cry. Wanting to further torment the man pleasurably, he wrapped both hands around his length and pumped furiously, thrusting faster and faster.

The bed rocked like a sailboat, hitting the wall it was up against as Tezuka clawed continuously at the blanket, unable to contain himself anymore. His face was red and sweaty. His body was shaking at the brink of ecstasy. His heart was going to burst out of his chest. Oh, the pleasure was overwhelming him, and he panted uncontrollably when he tried to lower his head, wanting to muffle this last humiliating cry.

But Fuji wouldn't allow it, and the tensai grabbed Tezuka by the hair and tugged his head back, continuing to stroke that hard on as he made sweet love to his Buchou and bit down into his collarbone.

Tezuka's eyes widened and he barely cried out, feeling the tensai mark him effectively like he always do before licking the love wound. In short breaths, Tezuka was unable to close his mouth at the pleasure overpowering him and dominating his jewels mercilessly. He frowned, losing control over his body as the hot sensations struck him. And struck him. And struck him, until finally, he clenched his eyes shut and let out an extremely loud cry, shivering and climaxing rather violently.

"Kunimitsu!" Fuji cried out, unleashing his load as he was caught off by the sudden orgasm and released his hand on Tezuka's hair, anchoring himself for the hot sensations that hit him hard before falling down onto Tezuka's back, the ecstasy washing over him wonderfully.

Tezuka fell into fits of spasms, his length tense and spewing out last spurts of cum before the orgasm tapered off, and he heaved heavily against the pillow, exhausted and sweaty. So much for the shower.

The two panted in the warm room, with Tezuka's flushed face against the pillow, his eyes still closed, and Fuji glancing over smugly with a half grin at the phone on the edge of the desk. Finally finding the strength after that intense love making session, he slowly got up and reached over for the phone. He stared at it, smirking in satisfaction that it was still on, the caller clearly still on the line. And then, he hung up.

"That was unnecessary," Tezuka breathed hoarsely, tired with dazed eyes.

"Ne, I think he rather enjoyed it," Fuji smiled, setting the phone back down onto the table. "Now he will think twice about prank calling you-"

The phone rang.

Fuji's eyes widened. Tezuka glanced up at the phone.

The sound of the ringtone blared across the room. Fuji sat on the edge of the bed and slowly reached over with a finger to press the End Call button.

Silence.

Within seconds, the phone rang again.

Fuji furrowed his brows and, once again, hit the End Call button.

Silence.

And then it rang again.

The tensai hit the same button.

Silence.

Then it ranged again. And again after that. And again after that. And again after that.

That vicious worthless Caller ID screen flashed repeatedly on the display in a cruel mocking blue.

Unknown Caller.

Unknown Caller.

Unknown Caller.

Fuji stared at the phone ringing nonstop, his skin suddenly eerily cold and his blue eyes slowly enlarging as he watched that phone ring incessantly as though in a never ending loop.

Finally, Fuji reached for the phone and pried out the battery in the back rather drastically, dropping the pieces back onto the desk. He sat back down on the bed, breathing deeply, loudly, slowly, the sound of his cold breaths revealing his unsettled nerves.

Tezuka looked over his shoulder at the tensai. Sighing, he rested his head against the pillow, taking off his glasses and closing his eyes. "Let's just sleep, Shuusuke."

"Hm," Fuji replied quietly, his eyes still on the phone. For the first time, he complied with that request.


	13. Chapter 13

**Apologies for updating late! I've been so busy! Also, thanks for catching those two typos in the last chapter. I do read the reviews and make the changes and updates to the chapter.**

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 13

The great Atobe Keigo. Talented, smart, handsome – he is _the _Atobe Keigo – a great leader who rules the middle school tennis team like a king, an intelligent student who excels in all subjects in the academic realm, a grand individual who grew up in a wealthy and highly sophisticated family. The great Atobe Keigo is well versed in the arts, very knowledgeable of the classics and history, very ambitious and hard working in the sport of tennis…

And very much brushing his teeth with all his strength until his lips turned red.

Atobe spit the water out of his mouth and into the sink, rising up again to brush extensively for the fifth time as the toothpaste foamed drastically around his lips before being spat back down into the drain. Rinsing his mouth for the last time, he set the cup aside, leaned on the countertop, and wiped the bottom of his lip as dark gray eyes stared into the mirror. How did this happen? Perhaps he should brush some more. It was late in the evening, and the Hyotei captain held his gaze at his own reflection in the expensive, marbled, 300 sq. feet bathroom of his mansion. The usually proud man filled with dignity, pride, and integrity grimaced as he recalled the day's events.

_Those thick, rough lips that touched his own._

The great Atobe found himself flustered, and he furrowed his brows as he gently rubbed his mouth against the back of his hand.

He could still feel the texture. He could feel that callous yet surprisingly soft skin. He could feel the _warmth._

Atobe ran his hand through his beautiful dark, silver hair before glancing at his reflection again. He was the great Atobe. Nothing unsettles him. Nothing rattles him. Nothing catches the great Atobe off guard.

But this was Tezuka Kunimitsu. And the great Atobe himself had _kissed_ him. The Hyotei captain furrowed his eyebrows some more, a rather perturbed look in his reflection. How in the world did he manage to have his first kiss taken away by…by…his rival?

Okay, so yes, it was true. Despite Atobe being the popular student council president and tennis captain in Hyotei Academy, despite the great Atobe having so many women admire him and fight for his attention, the great Atobe had, nevertheless, never _kissed_ anyone. It wasn't that he wasn't interested in dating. He just didn't have the time. With his responsibilities as tennis captain reigning over a 200 plus member team, and his duties as student council president, not to mention his impressive abilities to juggle his academics, the Hyotei third year just didn't have that much free time for dating.

But still, he never expected to have his first kiss be with another man. And not just any other man, but _Tezuka Kunimitsu_.

Tezuka, the well known Seigaku captain and national level player in the tennis school world who leads his team with strict discipline and his inspiring presence. Tezuka, the responsible model student and respected student council president who has his own set of admirers in his school as well as those attending schools nearby. Tezuka, the man who is known to never smile, to never show any emotion, to constantly remain stoic and firm with that monotonous voice of his. Tezuka, the only one who could outmatch the great Atobe himself, even with that injury of his, even when the odds are stacked against him, even when the final score is his loss...

"AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" Atobe roared loudly in frustration, rummaging his hair wildly as his voice echoed throughout the large marble bathroom. Just how, how, HOW? No, rather, WHY? Why did he have to kiss his rival? Why did he still have that aftertaste in his mouth? Why did he still feel warmth from that kiss?

No, it was an accident. Just an accident. It was that stupid first year's fault, that green-eyed freshman on Seigaku's team. If only he can make that boy pay for his utter humiliation today, not to mention for the torment he is currently going through right at this very moment! The great Atobe dropped his hands on top of the countertop once more, staring viciously into the mirror. He could still taste it. He could still feel it. He can't get it out of his head. His face, still flustered, showed signs of being greatly troubled by the memory of today's event.

More toothpaste. That's what he needs. More toothpaste. No, mouthwash should do the trick. Not those cheap ones at the local markets on the street. The great Atobe never buys anything cheap.

"Kabaji!"

The large, bulky man opened the door, appearing before his captain. "Usu."

"Get me mouthwash. The most expensive mouthwash you can find at the _only_ store I shop at."

"Usu."

"Make sure that lady at the counter throws in some extra moisturizer. I ran out of the one for my face. I can't afford to let the sun crackle and dry out my skin." He graced the edge of his own face with his fingers.

"Usu."

"And be quick!"

"Usu." Kabaji stepped out the door, heading for the front of the mansion.

Meanwhile, Atobe returned to face the mirror. He narrowed his eyes, glaring intensely at his reflection.

"It means nothing," he told himself strictly, dark gray eyes gleaming back at their own. "Absolutely nothing."

* * *

Tezuka walked through the hallways of Seigaku that Saturday morning, the tensai strolling along beside him. As usual, the female students giggled quietly as the two most admired third years of the school passed by them. The tall, bespectacled man remained as silent, as strict, and as stern as ever while the friendly tensai continuously smiled, his blue eyes hidden behind mysterious lids. Turning a corner, both individuals stepped into the locker area, splitting up to their respective lockers as they opened the metal doors to drop off a few things.

Tezuka was about to reach in when his eyes suddenly widened.

"Oh my," Fuji feigned surprised, his hand brought to his mouth. "More chocolates. In fact, two boxes wrapped into one." He took out the gift, staring at the beautifully tied ribbon. Sighing, he turned to his companion. "Ne, Tezuka-" Fuji noticed the quiet man seemingly staring at something, his tall frame unmoving. "Tezuka?" He walked over, watching as the Seigaku Buchou pulled out a note from his locker.

Tezuka held the small torn piece of paper in his hand.

_Stay away from Fuji._

Black bold words in dark marker stared back at him.

It wasn't just the content of the note that unsettled the both of them. It was the way the words were written – fast, furious, and hasty. The words looked like they were carved into the paper-deeply, boldly, furiously.

Normally, Fuji would dismiss it as miscellaneous. But after the repeated calls last night, the tensai found himself slightly shivering at the chills traveling down his spine. "Ne, guess he didn't enjoy yesterday's call too much."

Tezuka glared at Fuji, annoyed. "That was unnecessary."

"It was just phone sex. Kinda'."

"I'm not into those things."

"Oh, but the noises you were making showed otherwise."

"Fuji!"

Fuji giggled, amused by Tezuka's flustered face. At the same time, he secretly hid his own worries about last night's incident. Perhaps he had gone too far, but this may be a good thing. The stalker may start to make his move more, and possibly slip up. He remembered Saeki's suggestion about luring the stalker out. Yesterday obviously worked in inciting the secret admirer. Perhaps they should start setting up more bait and will finally, hopefully, reveal the culprit.

"Ahem."

Fuji blinked, realizing he had dozed off in his own train of thought. He looked up and saw Tezuka standing there sternly, his arms crossed expectantly in his captain stance. The tensai wondered for a moment before looking down at the wrapped double box of chocolates in his hands. With a sigh, he tossed the gift into the trashcan next to him.

* * *

Early that morning, everyone appeared to act strangely as they continued their routines of preparing the school play. Echizen and Momoshiro argued on stage, with one holding up his wallet and the other holding up his bandaged hands. Oishi paced around the stage, completely worried about something that was weighing heavily on his mind. Atobe drank a bottle of water, gurgling to clear his voice in preparation for his role – his lips strangely red with rashes. Kikumaru hid behind the curtains, sniveling like a poor little kitten as his eyes peered at a certain someone on stage.

Saeki furrowed his brows as he watched the scene before him. Has everyone lost their marbles? It was certainly a strange sight.

"It looks like not everyone's off to a great start this Saturday morning," Bane echoed Saeki's thoughts as he stood beside him, watching as well.

"No kidding," Saeki remarked.

Bane looked at him. "Any leads on the whole stalker thing?"

"Nope." Saeki threw his hands behind the back of his head, sighing. "Who knows." Suddenly, he noticed the two Seigaku individuals he was just thinking about enter the auditorium.

Tezuka and Fuji walked side-by-side down the aisle, heading for the front of the stage.

"I'm going to go get ready," Fuji said before going ahead of his companion.

"Aa," Tezuka merely said, trailing along to check in with Tomoka on the progress of everything. But before he could converse with the young director, he heard his name addressed.

"Tezuka."

The bespectacled man turned around to find Sanada standing before him.

"Aa," Tezuka said, waiting for the Rikkaidai vice-captain to continue.

"Are you feeling better from last time?"

"Aa."

"Nothing serious?"

"I didn't sustain any injuries. Luckily, the stage set was rather thin."

"Hm," Sanada nodded. He stared at Tezuka for a moment. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Places everyone!" Tomoka bellowed into the megaphone next to them. "We will begin in two minutes!"

Tezuka returned his attention to Sanada. "I thank you for your concern. I believe it is time for us to get ready."

Sanada nodded. "I understand." The equally stern Rikkaidai man promptly turned around to go to his designated spot on stage for the upcoming scene.

"Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, Tezuka Buchou?" Tomoka asked Tezuka, noticing that the Seigaku captain seemed to be patiently waiting for her.

"Aa. I wanted to know, is everything going on schedule?"

"Hai!" Tomoka stated proudly. "The girls are all on schedule with the costume design. We should be fitting everyone starting Monday. The props are almost done. They just need to be painted and decorated. And we've borrowed some furniture from the theater department and even received some donations from some of the local stores nearby." She placed her hands proudly on her hips. "This is going to be a great play, Tezuka Buchou! You can count on me!" She did a salute.

Tezuka nodded. "Thank you for your hard work. I really appreciate it."

"Gomen! Am I late?"

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the wavy-haired boy standing at the door to the auditorium, huffing and catching his breath. "Oh, looks like I made it just in time!"

"Jirou! Where were you? Oshitari called your cell three times!" Atobe scolded across the room.

Jirou cringed. "Kya, gomenasai, Atobe Buchou!" He immediately ran down the aisle, swiftly passing by Tezuka and Tomoka and leaping into the air to land easily on stage. As the young man tried to catch his breath, Fuji opened his eyes, noticing the tennis bag hanging over Jirou's shoulder. Atobe appeared to notice the same thing, but before he could even comment on how there's no tennis practice today, the sleepy third year smiled and walked away towards the back of the stage.

Jirou stopped at an empty corner, slowly setting his belongings on the floor when his eyes caught sight of the tensai watching him closely, quietly, those bright blue eyes open. He laid his bags down and stood up, gazing back at the Seigaku third year similarly. There was no real discernable expression on his face, just eyes staring back at the hazelnut-haired boy.

The two individuals eyed each other for a moment.

"All right, we're going to start, NOW!" Tomoka ordered as everyone quickly finished walking to their designated places.

Jirou and Fuji held their gaze for a second more. And then, the two broke contact and prepared themselves for the next scene of _Romeo and Juliet._

* * *

During the fifteen minute break that morning, Tezuka visited each group: the actors, the backstage crew, and the costume designers. Just as Tomoka stated, everything was on schedule, but the student council president still wanted to make sure that everyone was getting the resources they needed. Upon receiving the positive feedback that everyone was doing well and progressing, Tezuka headed back down the staircase off the stage when he passed by the front row of seats and the corner of his eyes caught sight of the Rikkaidai captain sitting by himself.

"You seem to have a lot on your hands, Tezuka," Yukimura said.

The Seigaku captain found himself stopping for a moment. He turned his head, finding the blue-haired famous tennis player smiling pleasantly at him, his legs crossed and hands placed gracefully on his knees.

"It must be difficult balancing everything."

Tezuka watched him for a moment. "Aa. But it's really nothing much."

"As expected of the great Seigaku captain," the Rikkaidai Buchou smiled. "But please don't let me distract you. You look like you were on your way to talk to Tomo-chan." Yukimura held up his hand, motioning towards the freshman director at the front of the stage.

Tezuka observed the man carefully. "Aa." He continued walking. His eyes peered to the side as he remained guarded, feeling something was quite off. When he stopped to talk to Tomoka, he couldn't help but overhear the conversation behind him as Sanada suddenly appeared beside Yukimura. The Rikkaidai captain seemed to be displeased about something.

"Sanada."

"Yes, Yukimura?"

"I'm more than happy about letting you borrow some things, but please return them promptly too."

"Gomen, Yukimura."

"What did you need it for anyway?"

"I needed to fix my Shinai before Kendo practice. The side had a splinter sticking out."

"I see," Yukimura considered this. "Well, just return it to me, but later after rehearsal. I don't want you to bring that here. You're not supposed to be carrying that around school."

"I understand."

"Also, after rehearsal today, do you mind accompanying me to the hospital?"

Sanada's eyes lit up. "Yukimura, you're not…"

"I'm fine, don't worry," Yukimura chuckled reassuringly. "It's just a checkup to monitor everything, but I feel more comfortable having you there, if you don't mind."

"Of course I'll be there, Yukimura."

Meanwhile, on stage, the Seigaku tensai was enjoying his break when he noticed the redhead hiding behind the curtains once more, still sniveling and peering timidly from the corner. Curious, he walked over and gently pulled the curtain aside, surprising his best friend.

"F-Fuji!"

"Ne, Eiji, are you playing hide and seek?" Fuji smiled kindly.

"Don't tease me," Kikumaru complained, drawing the curtains around him again.

Fuji pried them away. "Eiji, you can't hide there forever. Now, come out from there."

Kikumaru hesitated for a moment before slowly revealing himself fully, still with his head lowered. "Fuji, I don't know what to do."

Fuji smiled gently. "I think you should talk to Oishi." The tensai motioned with his head at the worried vice-captain pacing off stage on the other side, ignoring anyone who greeted him. "He's obviously concerned about all this."

"I-I can't talk to him!" Kikumaru blurted out. "What…what am I supposed to say? Ne, Fujiiiiii." Kikumaru grabbed a hold of his friend's arms. "Fuji, he kissed me! Is that normal?"

Fuji blinked. He smiled. "Are you saying me and Tezuka kissing is abnormal?"

Kikumaru was caught off guard. "No, of course not!" He stated promptly.

"Then what's the problem?" Fuji asked gently.

Kikumaru sniffed some more. "I'm…so confused. I mean, that night, he said that he liked me. And I said I liked him too. But then he kissed me, and then I realized the 'like' he was talking about was…was…" Kikumaru's beady eyes glistened, "Fuji, I told you! I freaked out and ran out of the house. What should I do?"

Fuji slowly removed Kikumaru's hands, comforting him. "Ne, Eiji. It's okay. Please understand, it's hard on Oishi too." He returned a sad smile. "Believe me. I know."

Kikumaru sniffed, watching his best friend carefully as he saw those clear blue eyes look at him with that sincerity. "Ne, I'm sorry, Fuji. I forgot that it was hard for you when you confessed to Tezuka."

"Well," Fuji immediately closed his eyes, a nervous sweat drop on the side of his head. Technically, he did more than just "confessing." But his best friend didn't need to know the details. "Listen, Eiji, just talk to Oishi. Take it slow. Everything will be all right."

Kikumaru thought about this. "You promise?"

"Hm, I promise," Fuji smiled.

Meanwhile, in the middle of the sea of red seats, Saeki relaxed at the other side of the auditorium, lying his back against the chair as he propped his feet up on top of the ones in front of him. Bane mimicked in similar suit.

"Anything come to mind?" Bane asked.

"Nope," Saeki said, closing his eyes to rest. There hasn't been any new clues. The stalker appeared to be rather quiet lately. But then, Fuji hasn't told him anything, so perhaps he should ask his friend if there had been any recent developments. The last incident was serious enough.

Saeki sighed.

To have gone so far as to throw a sandbag at the stage prop to knock it down…

_The sandbag!_

Saeki's eyes snapped open. That day, he had seen that the rope to the sandbag was severed. The only way for it to be severed was with something sharp. What was used to cut the rope? Scissors was definitely not enough considering how thick the rope was. How about the tools the backstage crew used? Were any of those sharp enough?

"Hey, Bane."

"Hm?" The tall Rokkaku player directed his attention to his friend.

"That day, when the stage prop fell…"

"Yea?"

"The rope holding the sandbag was cut, and then the sand bag was thrown at the structure."

"Hm."

"How was the rope cut?"

"Probably with something sharp, of course."

"Can any of the tools the backstage crew has access to be used for that purpose?"

Bane considered this for a moment. "A pair of scissors is my guess, but the blades aren't sharp enough to cut those stage ropes."

"My thought exactly," Saeki stood up from his seat. "Let's go check."

The two Rokkaku individuals headed for the stage, climbing up the stairs and walking towards the back where they found a few of the backstage crew working through their break. Saeki and Bane lingered around the area, observing the tools lying around when the sound of two individuals arguing caught their attention.

"This bet was stupid to begin with! Look how broke I am!" Momoshiro yelled.

"Look at my HANDS!" Echizen glared, holding up his fingers. "How do you expect me to play tennis like this? Not that it should be a problem, but it's annoying!"

Saeki watched the two continue arguing when something shiny on the ground caught his eye. Dark green orbs widening, Saeki immediately ran up to the Seigaku pair. "Hey, Echizen, what's that?"

"Huh?" the freshman blinked, surprised at the sudden appearance of the Rokkaku vice-captain. He saw the silvery-white haired regular staring at the object on the ground next to his feet. "Oh, this?" He held it up in his hand. "It's a pocket knife."

"What are you using it for?" Bane asked.

"To cut these ropes," Echizen pointed to the strands of thick ropes besides him. "They're part of the set design. Scissors aren't enough to cut through these."

"So this was in the toolbox you guys have," Saeki remarked.

"Oh, no, this isn't ours."

"Huh?" Both Saeki and Bane blinked. "Then, where'd you get it from?"

"Tachibana Buchou lent it to us."

"Tachibana?" The Rokkaku pair echoed in surprise, looking at each other.

"Hey, don't say anything. We're not supposed to be carrying stuff like this in school," Momoshiro warned. "Tachibana Buchou was nice enough to lend it to us because we had nothing to cut these ropes with. So don't get him in trouble."

"Got it," the Rokkaku pair nodded before turning away.

"Hey, Saeki," Bane said first, lowering his voice. "Do you think…"

"We don't know for sure yet," Saeki noted. And then he smirked, excited. "But I think we got ourselves a clue. Let's investigate."

* * *

Finally, rehearsal was nearing an end, and everyone was eager to go home to enjoy a weekend free from interschool festival preparations.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji walked up to the Seigaku Buchou off stage. "Do you mind if I stay over again tonight?" Those blue eyes smiled with a hidden glint of eagerness. "I need you to help me rehearse my lines."

Tezuka observed him carefully before turning to face the stage again as everyone began cleaning up.

"Aa."

On stage, Atobe stretched, also eager for the break from the busy week. He still had some homework to catch up on, but he figured that today, he and his team deserved a rest. He was thinking about taking them out to their favorite yakitori place. "Hey, all of you, how about we head out for lunch? Yakitori."

"Oh, that sounds really good," Mukahi began hopping excitedly. "I'm starving!"

"Sounds good to me," Oshitari replied, pushing up his glasses.

"My stomach's grumbling," Ohtori held his tummy. "Yakitori sounds great right now."

"Oi, where's Jirou?" Shishido asked.

The Hyotei regulars looked at one another.

Atobe blinked. "Jirou?" He called out, looking around the auditorium as his eyes searched impatiently for his teammate.

Tezuka watched this scene take place on stage. And then, his instincts alerting him that something was up, he immediately turned to his side. "Fu-"

Fuji was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry everyone that this update took really long! Everything was so crazy this month. I think the next few weeks should be fine now. No guarantees, but I'm hoping to be back on my weekly update schedule.**

**Thanks everyone for your patience!  
**

* * *

Chapter 14

Tezuka was not amused. Far from it. But then, the stoic, serious bespectacled Buchou is barely ever amused. He glanced around the auditorium once more, hearing Atobe's voice booming across the room for his own teammate, and confirmed that yes, Fuji was not in the vicinity anymore. Furrowing his eyebrows, he pushed up his glasses and marched straight out the doors.

* * *

"You sure your Buchou won't be mad at you about this?" Jirou feigned concern, smiling as he checked his racket out on the community court at the neighborhood recreational park.

"Perhaps I'll be punished with infinite laps," Fuji responded without looking at his opponent, leaning down to pull out the racket out of his own tennis bag as his face displayed his notorious masked smile. "But that doesn't matter. Because he'll be watching me that whole time too."

Jirou paused for a moment, his fingers stopping momentarily on the racket strings, before he swung the racket over his shoulder. "Saa…today is warm."

"Hm," Fuji stood up, satisfied after checking his racket. "What about you? Wouldn't your great King Atobe be mad at you as well?" There was a very subtle hint of sarcasm in the way the tensai addressed the other's captain.

Jirou only beamed. "Atobe will be proud of me—once I beat you."

Fuji swiftly turned around, his racket held perfectly in his hand. "Shall we do this now?" He smiled, a sharp tone hidden in his smile.

"But of course. I've been waiting for you." Jirou's eyes flashed an unusual determination that others rarely see in the sleepy, seemingly lazy Hyotei regular. Underestimating him would be a bad idea.

But underestimating Fuji would be suicide.

* * *

Three games later, and Jirou was panting with one knee on the floor, the racket pressed against the ground for support. It was amazing, the tensai—his tennis skills were incredible. No wonder everyone feared the mysterious number two player of Seigaku. He was frightening, unpredictable, and a tease.

And he meant a tease in a bad way.

Fuji toyed with him, purposely hitting him volleys to mess with his opponent's mental state. During the whole time, the tensai retained his smile, an amused, distinct smile as blue eyes flickered with bright intensity every time the ball headed towards his way. The Hyotei man found himself awed by the Seigaku regular's prowess at times.

Fuji bounced the ball a few times before gripping it tightly within his hand. He looked across the court, eyeing Jirou, who was standing in a receiver stance, ready to hit the ball back.

If he could.

Fuji smiled widely. "Gomen, Jirou. But I'll be beating you in this game now." He tossed the ball into the air, pulling his right arm back, ready to swing forward as the ball came falling back down.

"This match is over."

"Huh?" Fuji froze at that voice, his hand and racket held halfway in midair as the ball fell right past him and landed on the ground, bouncing away. He slowly turned his head, finding his Buchou standing at the end of the net with his arms crossed in the captain stance, a strict, stern, and disapproving look on his face.

Jirou blinked and looked up, finding his own captain following Seigaku's captain closely behind, arriving at the same spot. A few of the regulars from the other schools also trickled in, with obvious excitement in their faces.

Fuji dropped his hand down and put on a smile. "Ne, Tezuka."

"You deliberately disobeyed my orders."

Fuji, along with some of the bystanders, including his own teammates, cringed at how sharp, harsh, and scolding Tezuka's voice sounded.

"Ne, Fuji is in so much trouble now," Kikumaru frowned, viewing from a safe distance next to Momoshiro.

"That's because he pisst off Buchou big time this time," Momoshiro remarked.

"Hm, such disorderliness in Seigaku," Sanada scoffed as he, Yukimura, and a few of the Rikkaidai regulars watched the scene before them.

"This is going to be interesting," Yukimura smiled.

"Seigaku has no chance of winning at Nationals with players like that," Niou noted, stuffing his hands in his pocket with a smile.

"Pack up your things, Fuji. We will deal with this accordingly," Tezuka ordered back at the court.

The tensai, half lowering his head, slowly began to pack up his things.

Meanwhile, as Jirou watched this, he didn't notice his own captain suddenly standing right next to him. He jumped. "A-Atobe!"

"Jirou!" Atobe began. "Do you intend to make us look for you every single time you go off on your own like that without telling us?"

"N-no sir…" Jirou stammered at the bellowing voice of his extremely angry captain.

"I told you, no unofficial matches! Now come, get your things, and I will deal you the proper punishment. No yakitori for you tonight too."

"What?" Jirou dropped his mouth, gaping as his captain turned around and began walking away. "B-but, you guys are going to my favorite yakitori place-" Jirou stopped upon finding Oshitari now standing next to him. And then, the bespectacled teammate grabbed the wavy-haired boy by the ear, pinching and tugging on it painfully. "Itai itai itai itai itai!"

"You caused enough trouble. Let's go!" Oshitari scolded, tugging the other regular by the ear.

"Tsk Tsk," Niou shook his head, still standing quite a distance away. "Even Hyotei. Looks like we'll be sweeping Nationals again this year, not that that should be of any surprise."

"I expected more out of Atobe's team," Marui popped the bubble gum in his mouth.

"This doesn't look too good for both Hyotei and Seigaku," Yukimura chuckled good-heartedly, amused.

"I would hate to be either of those two right now," Bane, standing with his Rokkaku team, noted. "To suffer the ire of their respective captains. I'm thankful that Aoi isn't so harsh."

"Hm," Saeki nodded, watching his own childhood friend walk wearily towards the extermely stern bespectacled man.

Out on the court, Atobe walked with his hands in his pocket, finding ahead of him Tezuka still standing there with his arms crossed as Fuji arrived next to the taller man, bag over his shoulder. Right before passing by the Seigaku captain, Atobe gave a nod and said, "My apologies, Tezuka, for my teammate's misbehavior."

"I should be apologizing," Tezuka nodded. "For my own teammate's involvement in the matter."

"I will see you next week," Atobe continued on, Jirou following painfully behind him as Oshitari continued to pull him by the ear.

As the Hyotei team left, Tezuka turned to Fuji. "Your direct disobedience is unacceptable. In fact, what you just did reflected badly on the whole Seigaku team."

Fuji looked away, deciding it best not to say anything at the moment, not when his Buchou is mad.

"And you need to take responsibility for your actions. But it seems that you do not understand the weight of your actions."

Fuji shifted his feet. Laps, as usual.

"200 laps next week. And you will not be participating in the regular's training regimen during practice all of next week. Instead, you will be helping the freshmen with their duties."

Fuji was stunned. Wait, was he just banned from tennis practice? Well, not exactly, but that's basically what it implied! The tensai looked up with shocked eyes, but found disappointed brown orbs that glared back down on him. And then, Tezuka turned and walked away, leaving him in his stunned state.

The Seigaku regulars also stood there, mouths gaping. "Oooh, Fuji really did it this time," Momoshiro whistled.

Echizen threw his hands up behind his head. "Too bad he didn't finish off Jirou. Would've been worth it."

"Man, that punishment's harsh," Kikumaru frowned.

"That's because Fuji stepped over the line. This does reflect badly on Seigaku, especially the week before interschool festival," Oishi noted. And then, he and Kikumaru looked at each other, realizing how close they were standing side by side. Oishi blushed first, and then the redhead blushed. The two quickly glanced away, embarrassed.

Up ahead, Fuji ran up the hill after Tezuka, their conversation now barely audible from the rest of the small crowd.

"Ne, Tezuka!" Fuji caught up with him, effectively stopping the captain for a moment. "Oi, isn't this a little harsh?"

"I would say it is not harsh enough," Tezuka bit sharply, making the tensai jump. "I will not tolerate such behavior on my team. Now, go home."

"Wait, what?" Fuji blinked, confused.

"Fuji, go home. Rehearsal has ended. You can reflect on your actions for the rest of the day."

"Wait, but, I thought we were going to hang out today-"

"Did you not understand me, Fuji?" Tezuka stressed his words with strict, disciplinary, unyielding eyes. "You deliberately disobeyed my orders. Go reflect on your actions, is that clear?"

The tone was harsh, cold, but worst of all, filled with a hint of disappointment that made Fuji swallow the lump in his throat. "I understand, Buchou."

Tezuka turned around and continued walking away, leaving Fuji standing there with his bag dangling over his shoulder.

The tensai frowned.

* * *

On his way home, Tezuka was fuming after dropping by his school to pick up his belongings. How utterly embarrassing was today's incident! Seigaku, as a host school, can not afford to allow such misbehavior to occur in front of the other schools. And Fuji had just shown how disrespectful he can be with his actions today. It was intolerable, and Tezuka will not allow it. Extremely irritated, he marched down the street, the anger boiling within him. He expected better out of the tensai, but then, he's not sure if he should be surprised that Fuji still snuck off to have that match with Jirou. But that doesn't change the fact that Tezuka was extremely disappointed with the regular, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt a headache coming on.

_Whoosh._

Tezuka stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. For a second there, he thought he saw something whisk by in his peripheral vision. Slowly, he examined his surroundings, a quiet neighborhood with most of the residents most likely out and about on a warm Saturday for lunch. There was barely anyone on the street, and only a few cars littered along the sidewalk. No one else was visible within the perimeter. Tezuka paused for a moment to reexamine what it was he saw, if he did see anything. Deciding to let it drop, he continued walking.

Footsteps.

He stopped and whirled around. Behind him was a long stretch of the sidewalk that he traveled on for the past few minutes. The road ran up a small hill further back, disappearing on the other side among houses that lined its sides. But no one else was in sight.

Tezuka crinkled his brows. "Fuji, you should just come out now."

Silence.

Tezuka blinked. Actually, it would be unlike Fuji to be following him in this manner just because he was angry. Despite his friendly demeanor, the tensai was known to display his dissatisfaction and fearful aura should he be displeased by something—hiding in the background in this manner was just not his way of doing things. If anything, Fuji would purposely stand in front of someone with that smile of his, feigning friendliness when in fact, he was harboring a rather dangerous intent. Yes, that would be Fuji's way of doing things—that was how the predator pounces on his prey. Hiding in the background out of plain sight was not Fuji.

Tezuka shook his head. What was he thinking? Why would he even think that Fuji be stalking him at this moment? In reaction to today's incident, Fuji would probably spend his time wondering around for the rest of the day, rather annoyed at his Buchou for the disciplinary action inflicted upon him. But he deserved it.

Tezuka sighed. Perhaps he was a little too harsh? No, he was probably still too lenient. He would've been much harsher if it had been his other teammates. Despite his relationship with Fuji, he was not going to allow something like today slide so easily, regardless of anything. Fuji cannot expect favoritism and disobey such a serious order such as not playing an unauthorized match with a rival school especially.

Realizing that he had been standing there for quite a while now, brooding over various things on his mind, Tezuka continued walking. Perhaps he was being too sensitive to his surroundings. There have been an increase in sightings of stray dogs and cats in this area, much to the neighborhood's surprise, so what he saw or heard earlier was most likely such a critter.

Except animals like that don't have the sounds of shoes hitting the pavement when they walk.

Tezuka continued walking, clearly hearing a slight off-step in his own footsteps. At first, the footsteps had been in sync, but now, there seems to be a delayed echo mismatching his own. He wasn't the only one walking. The bespectacled man walked faster, picking up his pace, his heart starting to race. Was someone really following him? But no one was in sight when he had last turned around. He continued walking faster, and faster, clearly hearing the footsteps trailing behind him at a quicker pace as well. The echoes were clear in his ear. There even seemed to be the sound of deep breathing behind him. Without warning, he whirled around, his sharp, hawk-like eyes ready to catch the culprit that has been following him.

But no one was there.

By now, Tezuka's heart was pounding. Impossible! If someone was following him, how did he manage to hide so quickly? Brown orbs darted around his surroundings, seeing the few bushes and cars nearby that an individual could possibly hide behind, except they weren't close enough for someone to run to in time.

Tezuka felt his forehead. Was he having a fever? Perhaps he was hearing and seeing things. Maybe he was being too paranoid. The sweat started to form on the side of his temples, and he could clearly hear his own deep breathing. He did not like being followed, and yet, he wasn't a hundred percent sure if he was being followed. He considered retracing his steps—perhaps that way, he would be able to run into the stalker.

It must be the stalker.

Or perhaps the stress of the week had gotten to his head. Sighing, Tezuka decided to just continue on home, a journey that was rather restless for the next fifteen minutes that included more suspicions, more sounds of strange footsteps, and even the eerie feeling that a pair of eyes were burning into him—invisible eyes that seem to be ever-present until the Seigaku Buchou finally made it to his house and locked the door.

* * *

An hour after the incident in the park, Fuji found himself wondering around aimlessly around the shopping district, his mood clearly down as he traveled throughout the crowd of people filled with families, kids, and couples.

Ah, couples.

Fuji made a face of annoyance. If Tezuka hadn't overreacted, the two would've been having a great day together on this wonderful Saturday afternoon. Too bad his grouchy Buchou was so stern about everything. Well, okay, so he will admit that perhaps he messed up today, but still, Tezuka could've just punished him and continued with their plan to spend the day together as well. Those were two unrelated things!

The tensai kicked a pebble on the sidewalk, nearly bumping into the pedestrians that filled the popular shopping area. He had been looking forward to the weekend too.

"Is everything all right, Fuji?"

Fuji turned in surprise to find Tachibana appear before him from the crowd of people.

"Oh! I didn't see you," Fuji put on his infamous friendly smile.

"I was in the area because I needed to go get something at the sports store." Tachibana frowned. "Fuji, as captain myself, I am aware of how strict and harsh we can be on our team. But it's really for their own good."

Fuji blinked and looked away. Was it that obvious to Tachibana what was on his mind?

Tachibana gave a kind smile, sensing the tensai's reaction. "But I'm not your captain, so cheer up. Want to come with me to the café? I haven't eaten yet, and it looks like you haven't either. Also, I was wondering if you'd like to help take a look at the new grip tape that I was going to get at the sports store."

Fuji considered the invitation. His stomach answered with a growl. He nodded. "Hm." And both he and the Fudomine captain walked off together.

* * *

Sanada ran quickly through the crowd in the popular shopping district. It was past one, and he was late to meet with Yukimura! He turned a corner, waiting impatiently at a crosswalk for the light to turn green before running across the road. Ignoring the pedestrians he bumped into, he arrived at a large fountain that often served as a meeting place for other individuals in the area. As he reached the fountain, he found in surprise Yukimura also jog right to it.

"Yu-Yukimura," he said, out of breath as he leaned on his knees to pant. "Gomen, I was late."

"It's all right, Sanada," Yukimura also panted. "I was late as well. It took longer than I thought." He sat down on the edge of the fountain to rest, his vice-captain joining him. "Did you take care of whatever it was you needed to at home?"

"Aa. It just took longer than I thought."

Yukimura watched Sanada for a moment. "What was it that you needed to do?"

"Just family stuff," the vice-captain merely replied.

"Must've been hard having to travel all the way back home from Seigaku and then come back here. You didn't have to come meet me here if it was going to be that much trouble."

"It was of no trouble, Yukimura," Sanada said. "I was still at fault for being late. Forgive me."

At this, Yukimura smiled. Sanada can be quite amusing at times. "Ne, I'm thirsty. Might be good to go grab something to eat too."

The two got up and began walking, heading to a café they often visit. "Yukimura, I was surprised you were late too. Was there something you had to attend to before?"

"Hm, there was," Yukimura responded. "Something rather important."

"I see."

The two finally arrived at the café and entered the doors when they found, much to their surprise, a Seigaku regular and Fudomine captain in their midst.

"Oh, Tachibana Buchou, Fuji," Yukimura greeted with a surprised smile.

The two waved from their seats. "What a coincidence running into each other," Fuji smiled.

Tachibana nodded. "How are you two doing?"

"We're doing fine," Yukimura replied. His vice-captain, however, did not say much, retaining that same strict coldness distinct to his nature.

"We would invite you two to join us, except," the Fudomine captain motioned the lack of seats at their small table, "it would appear that the café is rather busy today."

"No worries. We will sit somewhere else." Yukimura and Sanada then found themselves being directed by a waiter to another table towards the side of the restaurant at a seat against the wall. As the two sat down, they reviewed their menus when Sanada first spoke.

"You seem to be in good spirits today."

"And you seem to be as grouchy as ever," Yukimura joked with an amused, teasing smile.

Sanada wrinkled his brows and looked down.

The Rikkaidai captain chuckled, always enjoying Sanada's reactions. "Sanada, I'm just teasing you. But it is true—I am in good spirits today."

"Oh?" Sanada blinked, surprised by this remark.

"Hm," the Rikkaidai captain nodded. "It is good that we have some time to ourselves, alone. We've worked hard all week, and deserve a break."

"Aa," the stern man nodded.

Yukimura glanced across the room, noting Fuji and Tachibana deep in conversation. "Today must've been a rather embarrassing day for Fuji, having to be scolded like that in front of everyone."

"He disobeyed his captain's orders. He deserved to be scolded," Sanada spoke directly. "Such behavior we would never tolerate even in our own team."

"Hm, true," the blue-haired male leaned on his elbow, resting his chin on his hand as he continued to observe the tensai. "But he and Tezuka Buchou do seem rather close."

Sanada raised his eyes and glanced at Fuji, who was chuckling now with his friend. "What do you mean?"

"You mean you haven't noticed?" Yukimura continued to watch the pair chat amongst themselves. "They seem to always stand next to one another whenever they can. Although Tezuka Buchou is not known to talk much, he doesn't seem to mind Fuji's constant presence around him, isn't that right?" Yukimura closed his eyes. "They seem very close, especially in tennis. Seigaku's number 1 and 2. They remind me of us, don't you think?" Yukimura raised his head to look at Sanada, only to find him now staring at the table with his head lowered, his fingers gripped tightly around the corners of the menu in his hands as they began to shake.

"That Tezuka," Sanada stressed through clenched teeth at flashbacks of that man during his final year in grade school.

Those stoic, emotionless eyes.

Those unkempt brown locks barely changed.

That steady, sturdy, confident demeanor.

An unknown. An unknown that suddenly appeared on the court before him and defeated him in a sweep.

Him, a tournament runner-up, to be defeated by one who was supposed to be a nobody!

And still, to this day, no matter how much he has improved, that same man still refused to…

"Tezuka…" Sanada's fingers turned white.

"Sanada."

The vice-captain snapped out of it and looked up, finding Yukimura giving him a rather displeased look.

"Aa, gomen, Yukimura," the vice-captain lowered his head in shame. "Did you say something?"

The captain sighed and set the menu on the table, clearly showing his displeasure at this lunch. The action had its intended effect on Sanada, who began panicking.

"Forgive me, Yukimura! I didn't mean to upset you. I'll…I'll…" Sanada looked around, desperately searching his words. "I'll pay for lunch!"

"Enough, Sanada," Yukimura held up his hand with the presence of a king. "Let's just order." He promptly picked up his menu again to look at the items, leaving his vice-captain to further lower his head.

"Tezuka." Yukimura repeated the name, causing Sanada to look up. But the captain didn't look back at Sanada, instead continuing to stare at his menu. "Tezuka seems to be on your mind a lot." The captain set the menu aside and sighed, leaning on his elbow to once again glance over across the room. He watched as Fuji smiled in a carefree manner, clearly enjoying himself. "Tezuka has quite an effect on people, doesn't he."

"Yukimura?" Sanada blinked, confused.

Yukimura stayed in that position for a moment more before returning to his menu. "Nothing, let's just order."

* * *

Saeki stretched his arms high up into the air as he walked with Bane in the busy shopping district.

"I'm so glad it's the weekend," Bane noted, avoiding the crowd of people heading in the opposite direction.

"No kidding," the Rokkaku man sighed. "We need the rest. I don't want to think about the play at all right now. Not like I have that many lines anyway."

"Hey, want to grab something to eat?"

"Yea, it's already past lunch."

The two headed in the direction of the nearest café, entering the doors and finding the place to be quite packed with no seats left.

"Gomen, but it may just be a ten minute wait," the waitress informed them.

"Ah, no problem." Saeki nodded at the apologetic server. When the woman left, the Rokkaku vice-captain turned his head when he caught sight of his childhood friend. "Oi, Shuusuke!"

Fuji glanced up, also surprised to see the silvery-white haired regular. "Ah, Saeki. You're here too," he smiled.

Both Rokkaku players headed in their direction. "I didn't expect to find you here," Saeki chuckled. "Where's Tezu-" Saeki stopped upon unexpectedly finding Tachibana looking at him as well. "Huh? Tachibana?"

The Fudomine captain lifted up his hand to greet the two. "I asked Fuji to accompany me today to the sports store. Going to get some new equipment."

"I see." And then, suddenly, Saeki's eyes flashed.

_Tachibana Buchou was nice enough to lend it to us because we had nothing to cut these ropes with._

Saeki narrowed his eyes. He maintained his smile. "Hey, Tachibana. I have a question I wanted to ask you."

The Fudomine captain nodded. "Go ahead."

"Do you happen to own a pocketknife?"

"Hm?" Tachibana blinked. "Why, yes. How did you know?"

That's when Saeki remembered his promise to Echizen about not telling anyone about it. Well, he wasn't technically breaking his promise. After all, he isn't just telling _anyone_ except the person who owns the item himself.

"I heard you lent it to a freshman to cut the ropes."

Tachibana chuckled uneasily. "Oh really?" He scratched the back of his head, a rather uncharacteristic move. "Please don't tell anyone I brought it with me. My sister gave it to me as a gift, and I like to carry it around, even though it's against school rules."

Saeki nodded. "I understand. Do you mind if I take a look at it?"

"Um, I guess so." Tachibana frowned, slightly confused.

Fuji gave a chuckle. "Saeki, since when did you develop such an interest in pocketknives?"

"Well, I plan on buying one for a cousin. His birthday is coming up, and I thought it would be a good gift. I wanted to see what brands are good," the Rokkaku regular lied.

"Hm, that's odd," Tachibana shifted through his pocket. "I thought I had it with me. Did I leave it at Seigaku?" The Fudomine captain seemed to show concern. "Ann will be mad if she knows I lost it."

"You lost it?" Saeki raised an eyebrow, suspicious.

"Gomen, I don't mean to barge in, but you want to know what pocketknife brands are good?"

The group turned in surprise to find Yukimura, along with his vice-captain, appear before them.

"Yukimura Buchou," Saeki blinked, not expecting such an encounter. "You're eating here too?"

"Hm, we ran into Fuji and Tachibana Buchou earlier," the blue-haired male smiled pleasantly. "I guess this café is rather popular. Anyway, I didn't want to be rude and not greet you when I saw you enter. Also," the Rikkaidai captain searched his pocket and pulled out something before holding it out in his hand. "I recommend this brand. It is very sturdy and convenient."

Saeki dropped his mouth. "You…you have a pocketknife too?"

"Hm," Yukimura nodded, still smiling.

The Rokkaku man found himself at a loss for words, temporarily turning to his companion, who only shrugged.

"So, do you think that one will be good for you?" Fuji asked.

"Ah…yes, I think that will do," Saeki sighed dejectedly, taking the pocketknife and examining its beautiful exterior before pulling out the blade and other tools within it.

"Looks similar to mine," Tachibana noted. "Except mine is a different brand."

"Oh? Which one's yours?" Yukimura asked, curious.

As the two conversed briefly, Saeki noted the quiet, stern vice captain who stood silently next to the blue-haired Rikkaidai Buchou. "Ah, Sanada. Do you agree that this is a good brand?"

"Ah. I do not question Yukimura's taste." The Rikkaidai man seemed to return a rather unpleasant glare, a shadow cast across his dim dark orbs.

Saeki was rather annoyed with the indirect rude response. He decided not to further the conversation with the unfriendly vice-captain. "Yukimura Buchou, do you carry this with you all the time?"

"Sometimes." He took the pocketknife back. "Like Tachibana, I know it's against school rules, and perhaps us captains aren't showing the best of examples at this moment. But it's very convenient. I lent it to Sanada the other day for an emergency."

"Oh, I see-"

"Gomen, but please don't stand in the aisle," a waitress approached them. "You are blocking the path."

"Oh, my apologies," both Saeki and Yukimura said. When the waitress left, Yukimura turned to the rest of the group to say, "I guess we'll head back to our table. Looks like our food should be here soon. We'll see you all on Monday."

The Rikkaidai regulars left, leaving Saeki and Bane to say goodbye to their friends before heading back to the waiting area.

"Back to square one?" Bane said as the two walked side-by-side.

Saeki sighed. "Depends. How many more Buchous do you know who carry a pocketknife?"

* * *

It was nearing evening, and Tezuka set his homework aside, ready to go shower and get ready for bed. He stretched his arms in his seat, relieved that he had finished everything he needed to do, therefore leaving his weekend free. Perhaps he'll go to the courts tomorrow to practice. He hasn't had as much time set aside for extra tennis practice, given his responsibilities this past week. It would be nice to be back out on the recreational courts, alone, and enjoy himself.

He glanced at the clock momentarily.

8 o'clock.

His parents had left earlier in the day to go visit some relatives, and his grandfather had traveled to another city to visit an old friend. He would be alone tonight, a luxury he will surely take advantage of. Currently, having peace and quiet is what he desired. He got up from his seat and moved his body around to get the blood flowing again. He wasn't hungry, so skipping dinner shouldn't be a problem. He deserved an early rest.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, and Tezuka headed for the front of the house downstairs, opening the door to find in surprise Atobe stand before him.

"Atobe," he blinked.

"Tezuka, I'm sorry for dropping by so late," the Hyotei man began. "I wanted to apologize once more for my team member's misbehavior."

"There is no need to apologize. As I said, my own was just as much in the wrong," Tezuka said.

Atobe smiled. "We'll punish them properly. I know that Jirou at least is dreading tomorrow. By the way, I've noticed that Sanada seemed unusually persistent with wanting to play a match with you too. However, you are still refusing the challenge?"

"Aa, just as I object to the unauthorized match between Fuji and Jirou today."

Atobe nodded. "Well, that is all."

"Atobe," Tezuka quickly said. "How did you know where I live?"

At this question, the Hyotei man threw a proud smile. "Why, the great Atobe knows everything." And with that said, the silvery-haired third year left, leaving into the dark of the night.

Tezuka blinked and closed the door, rather surprised to find Atobe of all people even bother to take time to drop by to apologize. But then, today's incident was a unique one, and no doubt the Hyotei captain also wanted to make amends for the embarrassment his team member had caused, which reflected poorly on his team. After all, Fuji did the same to Seigaku. Not to mention that image is everything for Atobe Keigo.

Sighing, Tezuka was ready to head back upstairs when the doorbell rang again. Wondering what Atobe could have forgotten, he opened the door to find, instead…

"Fuji!"

"Tezuka," Fuji stood there, smiling.

"What are you doing here?"

"Ne, you promised that we could spend time together this weekend," the tensai pouted.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes. "Fuji, I am not in the mood. I am still not happy with your actions today."

Fuji shifted his feet, looking at the floor. "I know." He looked up. "By the way, I just ran into Atobe outside. What was he here for?"

"To apologize for his own teammate's behavior." Tezuka gave a stern look. "I did the same for you too."

Fuji gave an uneasy chuckle.

Tezuka sighed. "Go home. It is late."

"Ne, can't I stay over tonight?"

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked. And before he knew it, Fuji rushed right past him, entering the house. "Fu-" But it was no use calling out to him, for the tensai already took off his shoes and was half way up the stairs. The taller man sighed in exasperation, and he closed the door behind him before following the tensai.

Entering his own room, Tezuka crossed his arms disapprovingly, watching as Fuji dropped his belongings to the floor. "Fuji, I told you, you should go home-"

Suddenly, Tezuka heard fast footsteps and a crash before finding himself pinned against the wall. Stunned, he glanced down at the tensai. "Fuji, what are you doing-" Tezuka gasped in shock, finding a hand gripping his groin tightly. He stared questioningly into bright blue eyes that now looked back at him with frightening intensity.

"Kunimitsu, I need you now."

* * *

Atobe stuffed his hands in his pockets as he walked down the sidewalk, surveying his surroundings. The neighborhood was definitely inferior to his own. No branded cars lined the sidewalk. Unkempt yards even dominated some houses. He was surprised that someone like Tezuka would be living in such a shoddy place. It was quite unfitting, and he was rather disgusted with the area. He breathed out, seeing his own breath begin to condense in the cold air. Perhaps it was a bad idea asking his driver to drop him up and pick him up at the end of the street. The only reason he had requested it was that he didn't want to cause a scene in a neighborhood like this, especially with the type of car he owns. But now, he needed to rush back to the car so that he could arrive at the Yakitori place on time and meet up with his team for a late dinner.

Atobe picked up the pace. He admitted that Tezuka's house was rather big still, for a neighborhood like this at least. He had done his research and is well aware of Tezuka's family background, with a well-known grandfather who used to work in the police force. Coincidentally, that same grandfather is a colleague and friend of Sanada's grandfather as well. Life was certainly strange and interesting.

Speaking of strange, Atobe found it odd bumping into Fuji along the way, much to his chagrin. It was unusual to find a regular visiting his captain at his home late at this hour, especially given the circumstances of today's event.

Atobe stopped in his footsteps.

Actually, why _would_ Fuji be visiting Tezuka at this hour, and at his home of all places? Suddenly, Atobe's senses alerted him that something was up. Extremely curious now, the Hyotei captain turned around and headed back towards Tezuka's house.


	15. Chapter 15

**Update: Accidentally left out a section when I uploaded this chapter, so if you had read this chapter without seeing this message, you may need to reread this chapter. (It was just a small section I left out, but important)  
**

* * *

Chapter 15

Fuji slid his hand up and down meticulously over the growing bump beneath his palm. Smiling, he leaned up towards the flushed face struggling to hold his gaze. The tensai smiled with dangerous, playful blue eyes that caged the prey currently trembling against the wall.

"Tezuka, you seem so tense."

"Stop this, Fuji. Not tonight."

"Gomen, Kunimitsu, but I cannot hold back any longer." Fuji grabbed the taller man by the collar and brought him to the bed, pushing him down and straddling him immediately. He watched in amusement as Tezuka lay there frozen, unable to move away as blue eyes continued to lock gaze with deep brown ones. "No need to look so hesitant, Kunimitsu," Fuji said seductively, placing his hand precariously over that bulge throbbing against the cloth. "Your body is asking for more." Fuji leaned down, ready to taste those lips and devour the man.

"Wait!"

The tensai blinked, surprised as two hands held up before him told him to stop, and enlarged brown orbs seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief.

"I need to practice at the courts tomorrow, Fuji. I can't practice if I'm in this…condition, tomorrow." Tezuka quickly pointed out.

Fuji thought about this. And then, lips curving up coyly, he leaned in and said, "Then I won't enter you tonight so that your body isn't sore tomorrow. However," he caressed those flushed cheeks with the back of his hand, "That doesn't mean we still can't have some fun." He watched in amusement as brown orbs, which showed temporary relief just a second ago, suddenly enlarge again. Fuji grinned and licked the bottom lip before pressing his mouth against the other, breathing in as he forced his tongue in and kissed passionately. He heard the other man gasp and shift around, trying vainly to avoid the growing contact as Fuji pressed further and sucked on the bespectacled captain's lips. "Kunimitsu," he whispered hotly, enjoying the sight of the other man slowly succumbing under his touches. "Relax."

Tezuka gasped as Fuji groped his groin, twisting it playfully but nearly painfully, sending him trembling and seething. "Fuji, too much-Ah!" Tezuka rolled his head back as Fuji ran his hand up the sensitive area before traveling up his chest to play with his nipples hidden beneath the white uniform shirt. Tezuka found it difficult to resist Fuji's daring touches over his body. No matter how much he protested, he would find himself falling deeper and deeper into the pleasure that washed over him.

But then he froze, for there was the sudden sound of his belt buckle being undone. He lifted up his head from the pillow to see the tensai taking the belt off and proceed to work his fingers on the button and zipper. "Shuusuke." He placed his hand on Fuji's, effectively stopping him and causing him to look up. "I can't. Not tonight. I have to practice all day tomorrow."

Fuji grinned coyly, kissed the top of Tezuka's hand, and whispered reassuringly, "Don't worry, Kunimitsu. I will take good care of you tonight." Fuji pulled down the zipper, savoring this moment as he licked his lips at what was to come next.

"I'm still angry at you," Tezuka said point blankly.

Fuji sighed. Really, his Buchou can be so fickle and really break the mood. Blue eyes flickering, Fuji gripped his fingers over the bulge in the underwear, emitting a yelp from the other male. "Then be angry while I give you this as a token of my apology." Fuji leaned down and bit through the underwear, hearing in satisfaction the other man hiss and arch upward. "You want more, don't you, Kunimitsu-" Fuji found himself pushed back weakly as Tezuka leaned up and struggled to escape, but only succeed in turning around onto his stomach. "Really, you still think you can avoid me?"

Tezuka lifted his head back as Fuji wrapped his arms around his waist and groped him. Shivering, he groaned and caved at the hands now slipping into his already unzipped pants and stroking him generously. He squeezed his legs together, doubling over as he grabbed Fuji's hands to try to pry them away. "No, don't, Shuusuke."

"I love it when you say my name," Fuji licked his lips, enjoying the sound of deep breathing as he rested his body on top of that broad back and continued to stroke. "Don't fight it, Kunimitsu." He gave a playful squeeze, causing Tezuka to convulse and drop his hands against the bed for support. "Let it out, Kunimitsu. Let it out."

"Hahhh…" Tezuka gave a long gasp, breathing huskily with his mouth wide open as he pressed his knees together even tighter and found himself rocking to the rhythm of the tensai's strokes…

_Dingggg!_

Both Tezuka and Fuji froze, their hot blood gone cold for a moment.

_Dinggggg!_

Again, the doorbell rang more incessantly.

Sweat drops appeared on both of their foreheads, but for different reasons, with Tezuka having gone completely pale and Fuji more annoyed than anything.

"Tezuka, I thought your family was out for the weekend," Fuji mumbled, the irritation clear in his voice.

"I don't think that's them. If they were canceling their trip, they would have let me know immediately."

_Dinggggg!_

Fuji sighed. Wanting to continue on, he immediately stroked Tezuka roughly, speeding it up as the other man moaned in surprise and dropped his head against the pillow, leaning in further at the sensation caused by Fuji's hungry appetite.

_Ding! Ding! Ding!_

Fuji cried out in frustration and reluctantly stopped to lean up as Tezuka turned around in a sitting position. The two sat still for a moment, eyes glazing over each other's current state. Neither was in the condition to answer the door.

_Ding! _

"I'll go get it," Fuji said, getting off the bed.

"Wait," Tezuka quickly stopped him, grabbing him by the arm. His eyes immediately drew themselves to the obvious bulge protruding in Fuji's pants.

"Ne, it's okay." Fuji reassured him with a smile. "I'll just hide behind the door when I answer it. I think you're less presentable than I am."

At that remark, Tezuka immediately glanced down and covered himself with his hands, squeezing his legs together upon realizing that his member was visibly sticking out upwards from between his legs.

Fuji chuckled and hopped off the bed, leaving the room and heading down the stairs to reach the front door and open it curiously to see who was responsible for interrupting his precious time with Tezuka…

"Atobe," Fuji blinked, his head stuck out around the door as he locked eyes with the haughty, arrogant Hyotei captain smirking back at him.

"Fuji," Atobe greeted. "Apologies for interrupting, but I just realized I forgot to ask Tezuka a question."

"Oh," Fuji chuckled, still hiding his body behind the door as he stood awkwardly with his head poked out. "Tezuka can't come to the door right now."

"Oh?" Atobe raised an eyebrow, suspicious. "Why is that?"

"He doesn't seem to be feeling well."

"Is that so?" Now Atobe was really curious. "Is he recovering?"

Fuji blinked blankly. "Well, I guess you can say that."

Atobe tried to peer into the house, not needing to tip toe at all over the shorter male. "Then, if he's unable to answer the door, I can come in to talk to him directly-"

"That's not possible," Fuji quickly interrupted. "He is not in a state to meet with anyone right now."

"I see," Atobe's sharp eyes searched the tensai's face. "Sounds like it must be difficult for him right now."

The tensai chuckled. "Yes, it is quite difficult for him." _Difficult that I left him in that state, _Fuji thought in amusement to himself, feeling himself turned on again by the image of Tezuka with his ruffled shirt and half undone pants.

Meanwhile, directly across from the Seigaku regular, Atobe smirked even more. _I knew it, Tezuka! You are injured!_

"Is there anything else? I can give him a message."

"It's fine, Fuji. I can ask him on Monday," Atobe held up his hand. "I'll be on my way now. But do tell Tezuka that I hope he…recovers from his injury soon."

Fuji chuckled some more. "Well, it's not really an injury, he's just preoccupied-" But before the tensai could finish his remark, Atobe had turned around and begun to walk away, raising his hand up in a goodbye gesture as he left the property.

_I have you now, Tezuka!_ Atobe smiled in satisfaction as he headed back onto the sidewalk. _How dare you get injured again before you could have another match with me? On Monday, I will surely find out what injury you have._

Atobe paused in the middle of the sidewalk, holding up his hand over his face as eyes peered between his fingers. "Be prepared, Tezuka," he said out loud to himself. "I will unveil the truth on Monday and force you to admit it!" Suddenly, there was the faint sound of ruffled leaves, and the Hyotei man paused before turning around. Was there a shadow just now? His senses on high alert, Atobe's sharp eyes scanned the dark neighborhood lit by the dim streelights.

Nothing seemed out of the norm, and the bushes nearby were still.

Atobe frowned. Odd, he thought he saw or heard something pass by just now.

* * *

Fuji shut the door, sighing before smiling in excitement and quickly heading back up the stairs. He entered the room, ready to jump the man. "It was just Atobe at the…Tezuka!" Fuji dropped his mouth, frozen at the door as Tezuka stared back at him, stunned. The embarrassed bespectacled man had a sheet of tissue in his hand held midair in the midst of cleaning himself up.

"Tezuka! You came by yourself?" Fuji exclaimed in disbelief, bolting to the bed as Tezuka tried to hide his clearly red face as though he was caught.

"F-Fuji, it was difficult being left in this position!" Tezuka defended himself, completely flushed at the mess in his hands as he tried to finish cleaning himself up. Without warning, Fuji grabbed the hand without the tissue, held it up before him, and licked. Tezuka's eyes widened as the tensai lapped up the warm, milky liquid still left on his fingers. Blue eyes stared at him intently as tongue deliberately sipped and lips left a gentle kiss before pulling back.

"That was naughty of you to come without me," Fuji smiled, blue orbs now flickering dangerously. "Now I have to punish you." Fuji pushed the man down onto his back, hovering over him as he unbuckled his own pair of pants. "But I will keep my promise not to push you too hard so that you can still practice tomorrow."

Tezuka blinked, not sure what Fuji meant until he saw Fuji pull out his own manhood and grab a hold of his as well in one hand, fingers barely grasped over the two members. The Seigaku captain blushed and watched with mouth open as Fuji began stroking the both of them together, immediately sending him trembling at the extremely intimate contact. Tezuka gasped and moaned, hearing Fuji do the same as he felt himself harden quickly once more.

"Ne, your body is really craving for more, even though you just came," Fuji smiled, fingers stroking both of their aching shafts harder. Watching Tezuka's eyes glaze over with pleasure, the tensai decided to push it just a tad more as he stealthily snuck his finger into the entrance with his other hand.

The penetration had its intended effect, and Tezuka cried out in surprise as he looked up at Fuji questioningly. "Fuji, you said-"

"Don't worry," Fuji quickly reassured him. "I'm just going to finger you." The tensai proceeded to slide his finger in and out, watching Tezuka twitch and swing his head to the side, clearly lost in the feeling. Licking his lips, Fuji rotated his finger, searching for that little bundle of nerves and finding it within seconds as Tezuka spasmed and nearly kicked his foot out.

"Hah!" The bespectacled man called out.

Fuji smiled and pressed and pressed on that sensitive spot repeatedly, watching the man underneath him twitch and tremble uncontrollably at the sensation shooting up through his body with each brush. "Kunimitsu," Fuji whispered, enjoying the sound of that name. But he enjoyed Tezuka's erotic cries even more. He stroked the two of them harder, faster, while continuing to finger the tense bespectacled man and tease his vulnerable spot.

Tezuka gripped the sides of his mattress, fingernails digging into the blanket as Fuji fingered him relentlessly, adding to the already overwhelming pleasure of his throbbing member being pleasured graciously. He twisted and swayed his head side to side, gritting his teeth in a futile attempt to suppress his cries as Fuji leaned down to nibble on his left nipple through the shirt. "Shuusuke...! I..I can't handle this. Enough!" He let out an uncontrollable moan before being reduced to pitiful whimpers that left him even more embarrassed.

"Almost there," Fuji breathed, his face flushed and his body hot. "Almost," he gasped, stroking faster and faster and pressing his finger inside Tezuka's moist entrance more aggressively. He slide his finger in and out, feeling the slick sides of the inner cavern contract as he stroked harder, increasing the intensity and speed. He opened his mouth, hearing his raspy breaths as Tezuka's stifled cries sang beautifully in his ears. The skin within his palm—that tender, delicate skin of Tezuka's manhood against his own—even in this way can they be connected. His breathing grew more erratic, as did the sound of his gasps, and his body climbed higher, and higher. That blissful wonderful feeling was nearing beautifully. And then, he flicked his head back as a wonderful orgasm struck him, spewing his juices onto the other man's toned stomach and staining the skin with the milky liquid.

Tezuka grunted loudly, shivering and spasming wildly and thrusting upward as the combination of Fuji's finger inside him and his length being stroked sent him over the edge, drowning him in a wave of pleasure that washed over him and trickled throughout his body without warning. He felt Fuji's warmth spray onto his abdomen along with his own, their very essence now mixed together to become whole.

With a final gasp, Fuji collapsed on top of Tezuka, breathing in relief as he heard the other do the same. His heart, still pounding from that love making session, began to beat at a more regular rate. He sighed, muscles relaxing, and pulled out his finger from inside of Tezuka, emitting a small adorable shiver from the other man. Their bodies, so flushed, so sweaty, so sticky, and so _warm_—Fuji thought to himself how he never wants to leave this room as he lay with the only man he loves. Never, never does he want to be separated from this man. There was no third party trying to pry them away. There was no stalker or secret admirer or rival. Only the two of them existed in that very room.

Their breaths steadied, and slowly their temperatures began to cool.

Tezuka frowned, his eyes closed as he recovered from the echoes of having two orgasms in a row, with the last one being even more intense. Slowly, he opened his eyes to find blue ones staring down at him, beautiful, clear blue orbs that filled with deep emotion and yearning, and yet slight vulnerability and worry as well. Fuji…really is a complicated person. Tezuka lifted up a hand to brush aside hazelnut strands that hovered over him. "Shuusuke, is there something wrong?"

Fuji blinked before smiling sincerely. "Everything's fine." He leaned down to gently kiss those wet lips, and immediately thought about the pair of rings sitting in the velvet pouch back in his own room at his house.

He cannot wait to propose to Tezuka the night of the festival.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for your patience everyone! Here's the newest chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 16

Sleep was a bliss. The night air was still and quiet, and nothing stirred save for the soft breathing that barely filled the room. For some reason, it felt strangely warm and relaxing, even stuffy as well, and Tezuka shifted slightly when he slowly opened his eyes, feeling something hot against his cheek. Blinking at the blurry darkness, the Seigaku Buchou slowly lifted up his face, realizing that he was sleeping against a soft chest that was rising up and down. Warm arms wrapped around his shoulder blades, the comforting body snuggled up against him and breathing peacefully in deep slumber. Pushing himself up slowly from the bed, Tezuka carefully removed the arms and reached around for his glasses when he found them sitting at the edge of his desk. He put the spectacles on his face and read the digital clock.

4:15AM.

He glanced down at the bed where the tensai slept on his side, completely at ease, not that the tensai ever really seemed tense the majority of the time, except in some special cases.

Rubbing the back of his head, Tezuka realized the he was thirsty, and left the room quietly to make his way down the stairs to the kitchen, where the rays of the half moon shined through the windows, illuminating the dark countertops and tiled floors. Tezuka grabbed an empty glass from the cupboard and filled it with the filtered water from the sink. Drinking the crisp, fresh, cold liquid, he sighed and placed the cup down when he saw the trashcan. It was completely full, and most likely will start to attract flies if not thrown out. Always the responsible son of the family, Tezuka promptly tied the bag up and lifted it out of its bin before taking it out with him as he exited through the front door to the yard. He tossed the trash into the large bin and stretched, staring up at the sky littered with stars. In this quiet hour when no one was awake, Tezuka felt rather at ease. He took in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh, cold air before exhaling out slowly. Already, week one is done, and soon, week two will be as well. The bespectacled man was looking forward to the interschool festival being over.

His eyes wondered across the vast skies, staring at the bright dots that are who-knows-how-many-light years away. It's a very beautiful sight, and even though others find him too serious for his own good, most don't realize that he does take the time to show appreciation for mother nature. That's when he remembered that he was going to ask Fuji if he wanted to join him for his next mountain climb. The night skies would be even clearer then, and the stars even more amazing than they are now.

_Snap._

Tezuka's ear twitched, and he slowly lowered his face to look across from him. For a second there, he thought he heard what sounded like a twig snap.

And then, that feeling of ease began to slowly wash away, replaced by weary suspicion. Tezuka felt his instincts tingling, and he carefully glanced around, brown eyes scanning the bushes and dark street and equally dark cars lined along the sidewalk. He turned to his right, sharp orbs focusing in on the leaves and branches that were further obscured by the dark shadows of the night.

Someone is watching him.

Furrowing his brows, Tezuka made his way to the dim garden, the small light at the front of the house barely illuminating his path. He stopped right before the bushes, waiting for further movement.

Everything suddenly appeared still.

Still suspicious, Tezuka rushed into the bushes, not sure what to expect as he was prepared to take on whoever, or whatever, was there. But as he rummaged around the dark bushes half-blindly before his eyes began to adjust to the darkness, he found nothing. Instead, his arms and legs were slightly scratched by the rather unfriendly twigs sticking out from the shrubbery.

_Snap._

He froze, his heart pounding hard against his chest. Skin gone cold, Tezuka whirled around to find the source of the noise, desperately searching for the perpetrator. Was it the stalker? It must be the stalker. He, or she (although Tezuka was sure was a he) must have followed Fuji to his house.

Wait, Fuji is sleeping, completely unaware at this moment.

Fuji is alone in the house.

Tezuka gulped, feeling cold chills travel down his spine. He hadn't locked the front door at all when he came out. Immediately, he whirled around to run back into the house when-

"Ah!" He heard a cry, not sure if it was his own or the other's, as he unexpectedly crashed into an individual and fell forward, tumbling once before finding himself sitting on the grassy lawn. "Fuji!" He cried out, staring at an equally shocked and confused tensai blinking back blankly at him. "Fuji, what are you doing here?"

"Ne, I was going to ask you the same thing," Fuji said, brushing himself off as the two helped each other back onto their feet.

"I was taking out the trash," Tezuka explained.

Fuji glanced up at the taller man, finding something rather strange in those serious brown orbs, as though they were debating over something. "Tezuka, is there something wrong?"

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked. "No. I was just admiring the stars." He looked up, with Fuji following suit as the two individuals admired the thousands of bright lights that littered the sky.

"It's a rather beautiful sight, although you can't see them as well here in the city," Fuji smiled.

"Aa," Tezuka merely nodded. And then, subtly, the Seigaku captain's eyes drifted to the bushes again.

"Tezuka?"

"Aa," Tezuka turned his attention to Fuji.

The tensai watched him closely. "Are you sure everything's all right?"

"Aa. We should get back inside. It is cold, and you are barely dressed."

Fuji chuckled quietly. "You're barely dressed also." The tensai snaked his arms around that broad waist, pulling the taller man up against him. "How about I warm you up inside?"

Tezuka only glanced at the tensai, not responding.

"Ne, you're actually considering the offer, hm?" Fuji purred playfully.

"Let's go," Tezuka said abruptly, pushing up his glasses and gently pushing Fuji to go on ahead of him. "We don't want to wake the neighbors."

"Oh, I think they're used to your loud cries of passion in the middle of the night-"

"Fuji!" Tezuka hissed, face completely red.

Fuji chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'm going in." As the tensai stepped into the house first, Tezuka took one last glance behind him. Even more so, he can still feel dark eyes continue to burn intensely into the flesh on his back.

* * *

Morning came rather quickly, and the rays of the sun blared loudly through the windows in the room. The silvery-white haired boy furrowed his brows, shutting his eyes closed even tighter, but still unable to avoid the rather bright light that was now illuminating the room. At the same time, he felt something rather suffocating wrapped around him. Confused, his eyes flew wide open, and he found himself lodged within the long, strong arms of another man sleeping against him. Shocked, Saeki pushed himself up from the bed rather quickly, finding the other man groan and stir before shifting around and falling back to sleep. The Rokkaku vice-captain stared down at his friend's naked body barely half covered by the covers before glancing down at himself and finding himself naked as well. Gaping, he raked his hand nervously through his hair before looking at his friend again. Sitting fully upright, he rested his arm over a knee pulled up against himself.

They had done it again. Or rather, Bane did _him_ again. His mind was fuzzy at the moment, but he still remembered the way the taller male pushed him down against the bed, immediately spreading his legs to engulf his jewels in a rather shocking and pleasurable manner, not even giving him the chance to resist. Soon, the Rokkaku vice-captain found himself crying out besides himself as his friend entered him and thrust against him madly, devouring him until he fainted in the night.

Saeki groaned silently to himself, furrowing his brows and dropping his forehead into the palm of his hand with a look of deep annoyance and frustration. Just what is their relationship now? Saeki didn't want this, or at least he thinks he doesn't. But Bane has become more and more persistent since that first time, and now it would appear that his long-term friend will not quit anytime soon.

Saeki rested his chin in his hand, at a lost for what to do. Suddenly, a hand gripped onto his arm, and he looked to find the sleepy male with half-lidded eyes staring sleepily at him.

"Are you all right, Saeki?" Bane barely asked in a deep, hoarse voice.

And without warning, Saeki found himself pulled down back onto the bed, watching Bane get on top of him, those eyes staring down at him so intensely even in their sleepy daze. "Just thinking," he merely said. A large hand ran down his bare chest, making him shiver slightly.

"Is your body okay?"

Saeki blushed at this rather bold question, and he immediately glanced away. "I'm, I'm fine!"

Bane smiled and fell back on top of him, embracing him into his arms as he sighed deeply. "We can chat later…" he breathed before falling back asleep.

Saeki blinked, staring up at the ceiling as the soft breathing fell comfortably against his chest. And then, realizing he was still tired as well, he closed his eyes. Well, it is still early. He can think more about this later.

* * *

It was reaching late morning, and the strict, serious Seigaku Buchou was grumpy once more. The young man made his way slowly to the kitchen, contrary to his brisk walk just hours before when he had woken up to grab a glass of water. Rather sore, he slowly sat down in a chair at the kitchen table, grimacing slightly before dropping his head down on the table, his cheek pressed up against the cold surface.

So much for his planned tennis practice today.

"Ne, gomen," Fuji apologized with a half-uneasy chuckle, flipping a pancake on the stove in the kitchen before turning back around. "I had every intent of not going all the way."

Like Tezuka was going to believe that. In fact, he shouldn't have believed that in the first place. Fuji was doing a good job staying true to his words. However, after their little short outing at four in the morning, the tensai had an urge to push his Buchou over the edge, at first just teasingly and playfully. Unfortunately, one touch led to more and more and, soon, Tezuka found himself struggling to muffle his desperate moans and cries.

"Hm, it smells so good," Fuji said delightfully, hovering over the pan at the delicious pancakes he was preparing for their breakfast.

"I don't like sweets."

"Ne, don't worry. I won't put too much syrup on yours."

As the tensai continued to hum to himself, Tezuka sat up and leaned on his elbow, staring out the window. Who was there last night? This stalker is disturbingly persistent, even going so far as to follow Fuji all the way here. And to literally stay out all night long? The thought deeply unsettled Tezuka, and he made a mental note to always check the locks on the doors and windows, not that he doesn't to begin with.

"Tezuka?"

Tezuka blinked, realizing that Fuji was staring questioningly at him with large blue orbs, two plates of hot pancakes in his hands.

"Is there something wrong?"

"No," Tezuka sat straight up, letting the tensai serve him breakfast. Admittedly, the meal smelled really delicious, and he immediately dug into his food, realizing just how hungry he was.

After the pair finished their breakfast, they went upstairs to change.

"So…I guess you won't be practicing today?" Fuji asked hesitantly with a grin, immediately receiving a glare from the serious man, who was not amused at all. "Gomen." He held up his palms in an apologetic half bow. "But since you can't practice, do you want to go to the park anyway to help me rehearse my lines for the play?"

Tezuka sighed, visibly showing his annoyance. Fuji could see that his Buchou was extremely irritated by the loss of practice time, although the tensai secretly giggled at his teammate's grumpy mood.

"Aa," Tezuka merely replied.

Fuji smiled widely when his eyes caught sight of the first desk drawer that was slightly ajar. Noticing something rather peculiar, he held out his hand to open it. "Hm? What's this?"

Tezuka turned around when his eyes suddenly enlarged at the tensai's hand reaching for that one drawer that was supposed to be completely closed. Immediately, the bespectacled man swung his hand out in a flash and pushed the drawer with all his might, closing it completely with a loud thump before nearly toppling over the desk himself.

Fuji, completely thrown off guard by this, gaped with his hand held out in mid-air, his blue eyes looking up at Tezuka quickly straightening himself. Seeing how the bespectacled man remained quiet, not that he doesn't always remain quiet to begin with, Fuji eyed him suspiciously and asked, "Tezuka, what are you hiding?"

"It's nothing," Tezuka merely responded, an expert at maintaining a poker face devoid of emotion. Except this time, he found his own heart pounding fast.

Fuji didn't buy the response. "Ne, Tezuka, what are you keeping from me?" He inched closer, noticing the other man take a step back, unusually displaying hints of nervousness.

Tezuka struggled with those sharp, blue eyes that bore through his soul when he suddenly replied, "Oishi asked me to keep it safe for him."

"Eh? Oishi?" Fuji blinked, completely surprised and not expecting such a response.

"Aa. He said it was something for Kikumaru."

"For Eiji?" Fuji exclaimed, now excited. "Ne, Tezuka! You have to tell me what it is!"

"No, Fuji. I promised Oishi," Tezuka effectively turned Fuji around and gently pushed him out the room. "Quickly go brush up. I can't break my best friend's promise."

"Boo," Fuji pouted, dejected. "I want to know what Oishi is doing for Eiji. Those two need a little help. They're taking so long to get together," the tensai continued mumbling as he went into the bathroom.

As the door closed in the hallway, Tezuka went back into his room and opened the drawer, taking out the velvet pouch and sighing in relief. Looking around, he decided to hide the bag in his closet, up on the tallest shelf where only he can reach. He felt rather guilty for telling a lie. It went against his nature. But this was an exception, and he had no choice if he was to make sure that Fuji doesn't discover the rings before the end of the interschool festival. After all, doesn't Fuji love surprises?

* * *

Saeki yawned as he walked on the sidewalk, hands in pockets and eyes not fully awake just yet.

"Still tired?" Bane asked.

"What do you think?" Saeki half snapped, looking away. If anything, it was all his friend's fault for his current tired state. At least the sun was out and helping him to stay awake.

Barely.

The Rokkaku pair were heading for the local community park, deciding to enjoy the day out for some relaxation. A lot of others were also walking around, wanting to take advantage of their free Sunday morning, although by now, it was nearing noon. But neither Saeki nor Bane were hungry yet, having had a rather large breakfast at a small café. As the two entered the grassy lawn towards the courts, they were surprised to find another familiar pair sitting underneath a tree under the shade. Upon arriving a few feet away from them, Saeki greeted them. "Shuusuke. Tezuka."

Both Seigaku regulars looked up in surprise as well. "Oh, Saeki! You and Bane decided to come here too?" Fuji smiled.

"Hm," Saeki nodded with Bane. "Well, this area is rather popular especially among the regulars, so I guess it's no surprise running into you two. Do you guys plan on practicing tennis later?"

"Heh, not really," Fuji chuckled, feeling a sweat drop on the side of his temple as he could feel Tezuka's irritation at the missed practice come back again. "We're actually rehearsing lines."

"Oh, for the play," Saeki blinked. "We need everything completely memorized by this week."

"Yes, but I already memorized most of them. Tezuka's been helping me a lot."

"I see," Saeki said. And then, his eyes flashed. Tezuka was sitting there seemingly staring off into the distance at times, contrary to his constant focused demeanor. For some reason, the Seigaku Buchou seemed rather…off today.

"Ne, I'm going to go get us some drinks. Do you want anything, Tezuka?" Fuji asked.

"Aa, any juice drink is fine."

"Hm," Fuji nodded, promptly getting up and padding himself down where pieces of grass fell. "Want to come with me, Saeki?"

"Actually, I'm going to take a break here. Bane, want to accompany Fuji?" Saeki smiled at his friend.

Bane, who was surprised, only nodded compliantly and followed the tensai to the vending machine.

Once the two were out of earshot, Saeki sat down next to Tezuka, enjoying the coolness of the grass as he leaned back on his hands, his fingers sinking into the earth. "Sugoi…it feels so nice over here."

"Aa."

The Rokkaku regular stared off at the families and friends who wondered the park, their cheerful voices filling their ears from a distance. "Something is on your mind, isn't there, Tezuka?"

The bespectacled man didn't answer.

Both individuals continued to sit under the tree, neither looking at each other.

And then…

"The stalker was outside my house last night."

Saeki's eyes widened with a silent gasp, and he looked at Tezuka, who was brooding over his hands with his back hunched.

"He must have followed Fuji when he came over. I heard noises at four in the morning when I went outside to take out the trash."

Saeki slowly sat up, watching the other man carefully. "Did you get a glimpse of who it was?"

"No. It was too dark, and he was well hidden."

"Does Fuji know?"

"No."

"I see."

There was an awkward pause.

"Tezuka, there is something I want to talk to you about." Saeki immediately went into a short explanation on the pocketknife discovery and what he has learned so far since he began conducting his own investigation into the matter.

"This is certainly something," Tezuka said with that same drone of a voice, finally looking at Saeki.

"Yes, but we still need more information," Saeki thought about it. "We know that Tachibana has a pocketknife, but then, so does Yukimura. Both claim to carry their respective ones with them, but they could've lended their pocketknives to someone else, as Tachibana did when Echizen needed one. Also, they're probably not the only ones with a pocketknife that day."

"Aa," Tezuka said. "But at least it still narrows down the number of suspects. However, I find it hard to believe that Tachibana would do something like this. He does not appear to be the type."

"Well, I didn't appear to be the type, and you saw what I did to you and Fuji." Upon receiving a shot of a rather frightening glare, Saeki immediately held up his hands in defense, chuckling uneasily. "I'm kidding. Kidding."

Tezuka turned back around. "We need to figure this out before the end of the interschool festival and take advantage of the fact that the stalker is more easily searchable at this time. Later, he may be even more difficult to find."

"Hm," Saeki nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which," the Rokkaku regular motioned his head in a direction where a very recognizable tennis captain was walking sluggishly on the sidewalk next to his teammate Kamio. "Well, doesn't he seem out of it. Coincidence?"

Tezuka blinked, watching as Tachibana appeared less energetic than usual, having to drag himself around. Suddenly, the Fudomine captain caught sight of the two, and waved his hand before telling something to Kamio and heading over on his own.

"I see that this is a popular spot for the regulars," Tachibana greeted them upon arriving as the two stood up to greet him as well.

"Yes, that seems to be the case," Saeki nodded, padding the grass off himself. "How are you today?"

"Good," Tachibana smiled, the dark circles clear under his eyes.

Saeki's eyes flickered. "You seem rather tired. Not much sleep?"

Tachibana blinked, rather surprised, before giving a small smile. "Hm. Ann wanted me to help her with the sewing for the costumes. We spent nearly all night doing it before I just collapsed from fatigue." He held up his fingers, showing three bandaged ones. "As you can see, sewing is not my forte."

Saeki chuckled good-heartedly. "I see. But you're still going to practice today?"

"But of course. I have to," Tachibana smiled, hand on the strap of the tennis bag over his shoulder. "I had asked Kamio to come along. I also overheard that some of the other Seigaku regulars may be around here, namely Echizen and Momoshiro. Speaking of Echizen," he chuckled, "my fingers are starting to look like Echizen's bandaged ones."

Saeki laughed. "I thought the freshman would be adept at set design, given his talented hands at tennis, but I guess set design and tennis are two completely different things."

"Hm? Echizen didn't injure his fingers from building those stage sets."

"Huh?" Saeki blinked, surprised.

"By the way, Tezuka, Fuji isn't with you?"

Tezuka raised his head, not expecting to suddenly be addressed.

"I usually see you two together, so it's rather odd to find you alone by yourself. In fact, I didn't know you and Saeki were on close terms," Tachibana looked at the two.

Both Saeki and Tezuka glanced at each other before promptly looking away, seemingly annoyed at being called "close."

"I think you misunderstand," Tezuka said bluntly. "But Fuji is here. He went to the vending machine to grab some drinks."

"Oh, okay. Well, if you see him, let him know that I'm here and that I'm grateful for him for coming along with me yesterday to the sports store. I'll see you two later." Tachibana went off to join Kamio, who was waiting for him in the distance.

Once the Fudomine captain was farther away, Saeki immediately faced Tezuka. "Did you notice that he seemed rather strange? And he asked for Fuji and knows you two are always together."

Tezuka crossed his arms. "Aa, but that isn't proof enough that he is the one stalking Fuji."

"True," Saeki looked up, his thumb on his chin. "But that just means that you need to catch him in the act."

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked back blankly.

Saeki gave a sly smile. "Lure the stalker out."

Tezuka furrowed his brows. "And how would we do that?"

"Easy," Saeki shrugged. "Just let him see you and Fuji together until it's unbearable for him to watch and he accidentally reveals himself. After all, I know you two do it in school." He received another warning death glare from the Seigaku Buchou. "Kidding."

"Ne, sorry it took us so long. We couldn't find the vending machine," Fuji suddenly appeared before them with Bane, each carrying drinks.

"They seemed to have moved it," Bane remarked. "How inconvenient."

"It's fine. Thank you," Saeki said, taking his drink.

"Aa, thanks," Tezuka replied, also taking his.

As the group sat down on the grass and enjoyed their drinks, off in the distance on a tiny hill, a dark silvery-haired man peered from behind a large tree, carefully observing the individuals in the park. "It's strange, isn't it?" Atobe noted, watching the four. "Tezuka didn't seem to have brought his tennis racket with him today. Rather peculiar, isn't that right, Kabaji?"

"Usu." Kabaji said, also hiding behind Atobe behind the tree.

The Hyotei captain's eyes focused in on the Seigaku Buchou. "It is a perfect day to practice. Knowing Tezuka, he is as much a tennis freak as anyone of us, and would never miss an opportunity like today to practice in such perfect weather on the courts here." He narrowed his eyes. "Unless…he is too _injured_ to practice at the moment. Isn't that right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"And therefore, I am going to find out just what that injury is," Atobe said, determined. "You can't escape me this time, Tezuka." A smile crept on his lips, placing his hand over his face as eyes peered between fingers. "No one escapes Atobe's superior insight into their weaknesses."

"What are you doing?"

Atobe jumped, whirling around to find, much to his displeasure, Rikkaidai's captain and vice-captain standing behind him. He coughed. "I am admiring this wonderful day," Atobe displayed his arms rather flashily with a declaration. "Who wouldn't take advantage of a day like this?"

"Right…" Yukimura slowly said. "Well then, we'll leave you to go back to spying." He smiled pleasantly, walking away with Sanada, who was his usual unfriendly, disgruntled self.

Atobe furrowed his brows at the remark, watching the backs of the pair leave ahead of him down the hill. "Hmph! Wait until we defeat them at Nationals this year, isn't that right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

He glanced at Tezuka, who was unaware of the Rikkaidai duo now approaching him.

"Hm," Atobe rubbed the bottom of his chin. "Let's see how Tezuka's doing, shall we, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Atobe stepped out from behind the tree, hands in pocket and an arrogant smile gracing his features as he headed for the group, his loyal teammate following closely behind him down the grassy lawn.


	17. Chapter 17

**Apparently, Fanfiction site has been having some problems with not allowing the authors to post new chapters to their stories. But I have found a workaround that is successful! Apologies for the delay!**

* * *

Chapter 17

The Seigaku and Rokkaku pair looked up in surprise to see the two infamous Rikkaidai leaders heading their way.

"Didn't expect to see these two here," Bane remarked to Saeki just before Yukimura and Sanada arrived before them.

"It must be a good day to see so many regulars out in this park," the blue-haired captain greeted the group pleasantly, stopping right within the shade of the tree.

"Hm, it's a perfect day to be out," Fuji nodded in agreement.

"Aa," Tezuka merely responded in short.

"What brings you two here?" Saeki asked friendly.

"Even the Rikkaidai team needs their rest," Yukimura chuckled. "Although we have tennis practice a lot, to have a small break once in a while is still needed. However, I do believe Sanada disagrees with me on that point," he playfully glanced at his vice-captain. "You really deserve the rest. You didn't get much sleep at all last night."

Sanada glanced away, clearly in a bad mood. "We shouldn't have canceled practice today."

"Oh, don't be a poor sport, Sanada. Look." Yukimura motioned with his hand to the grand openness of the park where families and friends gathered and enjoyed the day out. "It would be a shame to miss such an opportunity to take a stroll," he beamed. "And besides, it's nice to have some company."

That's when Saeki noticed the dark-haired male seemingly preoccupied with something else, his eyes facing a completely different direction. He followed those serious man's eyes to…

"Tezuka, fancy running into you," Atobe interrupted the group, stepping right past the Rikkaidai pair. "What brings you to the park today?" He turned to Yukimura and Sanada. "Oh, I didn't see you two here," he feigned surprise.

Sanada glared.

"Heh, nice to see you, Atobe," Yukimura chuckled, playing along even though he had ran into the Hyotei captain just a minute before. Feeling a large shadow tower over them, he blinked and turned to find a large man appear behind the Hyotei captain. "I see that your loyal servant followed along, as expected."

"Kabaji, please get me water. I am thirsty."

"Usu." The giant immediately went on his way to fetch water for his captain.

"Anyway," Atobe returned his attention to the group, "Tezuka, I guess it should be of no surprise to find you at this park. You must be here to take advantage of this perfectly clear day to practice on the courts." He looked down. "But, that's strange…" He exaggeratedly looked around the grassy shaded area where the Seigaku captain was sitting. "I don't see your tennis racket anywhere. Perhaps you already practiced and left it by the courts?"

Tezuka blinked. "Hm? No, I did not bring my tennis equipment with me today."

"Oh?" Atobe remarked more loudly than needed. "You didn't bring your tennis equipment with you? Why, that's highly unusual. What could be the reason?"

Fuji chuckled. "Tezuka is not in the condition to practice today." At this, the tensai received a glare his Buchou immediately shot at him in irritation.

"Not in the condition? Wait, what does that mean?" Sanada immediately demanded, clearly interested once more.

"What could it mean indeed…" Atobe cocked his head at an angle, crossing his arms with sharp eyes that observed every aspect of the Seigaku captain sitting seemingly innocently on the grass before him. Secretly, the Hyotei regular held up his sprawled out hand before his face and scanned every limb, every joint, every muscle of that silent individual. Which part of the body was it? Was it the arm or shoulder again? Maybe this time it's the knee. Or the wrist. It could even be a sprained ankle. Wasn't Tezuka limping the other day. "Perhaps you want to elaborate on your… 'condition.'"

There was a sound of a snort, and Atobe snapped his head to where the Rokkaku vice-captain was trying hard to stifle his laughter a few feet away from them.

"Ahem, sorry, I just remembered something," Saeki coughed.

Not amused at all, Atobe returned his attention to Tezuka. "As I was saying, what is this 'condition' your teammate speaks of? Are you not feeling well?"

At this, Tezuka showed his obvious confusion with these rather strange questions. "No, I am feeling fine."

"Then why are you unable to practice today?" Atobe continued. "Could it be that you are…_injured_?"

"What? Injured! Oi, what is going on?" Sanada demanded, stepping in front of Atobe, much to the Hyotei captain's annoyance. "Tezuka, what is the meaning of this?"

Tezuka stared, his mouth half ajar at this.

Atobe pushed the Rikkaidai vice-captain to the side, resuming his presence. "Yes, it would appear that the Seigaku captain is injured. He was apparently not feeling well either last night when I dropped by."

"You were at Tezuka's house?" Saeki raised his eyes, rather surprised by this unusual update.

Sanada furrowed his brows and pushed past the Hyotei man brusquely as he stood in front of Tezuka. "Tezuka, since when did you injure yourself again?"

Tezuka opened his mouth, unsure of how to respond when Saeki interrupted him.

"Um, perhaps you guys are misunderstanding-"

"Tezuka, it's time that you told the truth. I cannot just win against a rival who is injured. It would be highly unfair and unsatisfying," Atobe declared in a dramatic pose.

"Oi, why have I not heard about this? How did this get past by me? " Sanada shoved the Hyotei captain away with the back of his arm as he leaned down at the Seigaku captain. "Is that why you refused a match with me?"

"Of course that's not the reason he refused a match with you," Atobe shoved back with his elbow, gritting his teeth as he struggled to maintain his composure. "Why would Tezuka want a match with the likes of _you?_"

"Why does it matter to you?" Sanada shoved back, on the brink of losing his temper. "Why aren't you pampering yourself in the bathroom right now with your lackey behind you?"

Atobe felt a nerve snap. "Funny, 'cause you seem to be a lackey yourself with how you always follow your captain around like a dog."

For Sanada, that was hitting below the belt, and he grinded his teeth, wanting to punch that haughty man in the face. "Weren't you spying on them like an idiot earlier just now? Hmph, no surprise that you were at Tezuka's place last night as well!"

"Wait, like Saeki said, you two are misunderstanding." Fuji chuckled uneasily, standing up before them with his hands held up. "Tezuka isn't inj-"

"Unlike you, I actually keep tabs on my opponents. _Worthy_ ones," Atobe continued with an arrogant, proud air. "But it looks like the so-called strict vice-captain of Rikkaidai has suddenly started to get laxed, huh?" he sneered as his eyes flashed. "I thought you practice every day, yet, you're out here clearly with no tennis bag with you. Maybe you realized that all the extra practice would never make you worthy of a match with Tezuka or, most of all, _me._"

Sanada's nose flared. "I see why you're keeping tabs on others. After all, Hyotei lost in the first round of the tournament, much too early compared to its previous performence under the reign of other captains before you came along."

Atobe glared at the other with ice cold eyes, a crack in his smile.

"Ano," Fuji continued with his usual grin. "I don't think you two quite understand-" Within an instant, the two bickering individuals ran right past the tensai in a whoosh, leaving the Seigaku regular rather stunned in his spot, unable to finish his sentence.

"Tezuka, tell me right now, what is the injury that you have?" Atobe ordered, glancing down with foot forward at the Seigaku captain still sitting on the ground, glancing up at them.

Sanada pushed the silver-haired male to the side. "Tezuka, I am disappointed that you didn't tell me you were injured. Why did you not say so when you turned down our match?"

Atobe pushed back, now shoulder to shoulder with the other. "You need to heal before your next match with me, but you need to first tell me what injury you have so that I can refer the best doctor to you-"

"It was highly inconsiderate of you to-"

"As your rival, I have every right to know-"

"Did your injury happen just recently-"

"I will not fight an opponent on such unfair grounds-"

"Once you heal, we will have a match and-"

Tezuka stared in disbelief at two of the most famous tennis players in the middle school world arguing back and forth, with dark black orbs firing back at deep gray ones as the pair bombarded the Seigaku captain with an array of questions that had left the bespectacled man rather speechless, not that he said much to begin with.

"Tezuka, I will not ask this again. What injury do you have-"

"Why did you not tell me that the reason for rejecting the match with me was-"

"Ne, really, you two are misunderstanding…" Fuji's voice dissipated amongst the loud heated voices of the two individuals standing between him and Tezuka. Now losing his own patience, the tensai stepped forward more assertively, not wanting this perfect day of free time with his lover to be ruined by these two. He opened his mouth and said rather boldly, contrary to his usually carefree demeanor, "Oi, enough!" He put his hands on their shoulders. "Tezuka isn't injured-" Without warning, Fuji felt the two fling their arms, the force knocking him back rather suddenly and powerfully.

Tezuka's eyes widened, and much to Atobe and Sanada's surprise, the Seigaku Buchou flew at lightning speed right between them, rushing to the tensai and reaching out a long arm just as the hazelnut-haired boy found himself falling backwards towards the ground.

Saeki rushed forward too, but stopped as he watched Tezuka catch Fuji just in time, protecting his head within his strong arms and against his chest as the two fell onto the grass. There was a rather soft yet loud thump, and both Sanada and Atobe stared, rather stunned by what had just happened.

"Fuji, are you okay?" Tezuka asked desperately, the urgency clear in his voice as he still held onto the tensai, having cushioned the other man's fall with his own arms.

Fuji blinked, slightly disoriented for a second before staring up at Tezuka against the blue sky. "Ne, it's nothing to worry about," he smiled. "It's just the grass. I think I'm fine."

Sanada was the first to step forward. "Are you all right? I didn't mean to…um…" He struggled for words as he stared at the ground, rather chagrined.

"That's…you shouldn't have been standing there," Atobe cried out defensively.

But neither Tezuka nor Fuji seemed to have heard them, as the two were looking at each other in the eyes as though no one else was around them.

"Fuji, I told you, don't be careless!" Tezuka scolded, a hint of softness in his deep voice.

The tensai blinked before grinning again. "Ne, I'm okay. Don't worry."

Saeki sighed, wondering when those two would remember that they are not alone when he glanced up and noticed the blue-haired Rikkaidai captain watching them, a slight unpleasant look smeared across his face. Saeki blinked at this unexpected reaction.

"Oi, Fuji, are you all right?" Tachibana suddenly appeared from a couple feet away, running up to the group half panting. "I saw you fall-" The Fudomine captain stopped his sentence midway, blinking in surprise as his eyes gleamed over the Seigaku captain hovering precariously close over the tensai, arms wrapped around the third year. "W-what, um, er…" Tachibana found himself at a loss for words, the tennis racket dangling in his hand as his teammate joined him from behind, the two having just left their match unfinished.

"Hey, you all right?" Kamio said, catching his breath as he leaned on his knees.

Fuji nodded when he felt his two arms grabbed as he is pulled up by Tezuka until the both of them were back on their feet. "Hm, I'm fine," Fuji chuckled.

"Apologies for my teammate's behavior," Yukimura stepped forward.

Sanada looked up just in time to find his ear suddenly tugged painfully downward. He gasped with a low grunt, nearly stumbling in shock as Yukimura pinched his ear, making his eye squint in pain. "Yu-Yukumura!"

"Excuse us while we let you all be. We apologize for any trouble this has caused." And with that said, he casually walked away, tugging his poor vice-captain by the ear along the way as the two left the vicinity.

"Hmph, well, I see that you will not admit to your injury today," Atobe stated. "Then I'll waste no more of my time and be on my way…for now." The Hyotei left, going back to the sidewalk while mumbling, "Where's that Kabaji?"

With peace falling back to the group, the crew had a moment to gather themselves with the unusual turn of events. "Fuji, are you sure you're okay?" Tachibana asked, concerned. "That was rude of them to push you back like that."

"They were rather annoying too," Bane stated, folding his arms. "Those two were bickering like a bunch of little school girls. It was actually rather disturbing."

"I expected better out of the captain and vice-captain of the most famous schools," Kamio said, hanging his racket over his shoulder. "What were they arguing about anyway? When we saw them push you in the middle of our practice, we were rather shocked. That was uncalled for."

"It's okay. It was an accident. I can tell they were rather regretful about it," Fuji said.

"Always too nice," Saeki smiled, feeling a twinge of jealousy as he watched Fuji beam at Tezuka, who glanced down at the tensai with deep eyes that, despite their austere nature, showed hints of the softer side of the often stern and stoic man.

"Fuji, don't let your guard down. You can't afford to be careless," Tezuka continued lecturing.

"Oh really," Fuji's blue eyes lit up, emitting a playful glint. "I should tell you not to let your guard down around those two also. I think they're paying you much too much attention than necessary." He lifted up a finger, seemingly tracing down on that broad chest. "Honestly, it's starting to worry me that one of them may snatch you away..." Fuji drew out that last word in a drawl upon seeing Tezuka's eyes widening desperately, silently reminding the tensai that there were others present who were not yet aware of their relationship. "….away from your team and leave Seigaku without its leader." Fuji quickly finished in one breath.

Kamio blinked blankly. "Huh? Are Hyotei and Rikkaidai trying to recruit Tezuka Buchou? Was that why those two were fighting?"

"What? That's absurd!" Tachibana cried out. "Are they that greedy as to steal the best from other schools to increase their chances to win Nationals?"

"Hey, did you hear that?" An unknown student nearby was suddenly heard speaking rather loudly to his friend. "It looks like Hyotei and Rikkaidai are trying to get Tezuka Kaichou to transfer to their schools!"

"What, are you sure?" the friend asked. "That can't be! We can't lose our student council president! He's already going to graduate! Why must he leave before the end of the school term?"

Tezuka dropped his mouth. He held out his hand, stepping forward, ready to call out and explain to the two unnamed individuals who were definitely from his school. "Excuse me, I believe you misheard-" But before the poor bespectacled student council president could go on any further, the two male students had immediately run off, heading towards a group of friends to convey the news.

The Seigaku Buchou stood there, stunned.

"Oh, this can't be good," Fuji remarked in half amusement as bits and pieces of the conversation can still be heard, with the word "transferring" appearing repeatedly.

Tezuka dropped his head into his hand with a frustrated groan. He was not looking forward to tomorrow.

* * *

Saeki and Bane walked together in silence on their way home, watching as the sky began to turn an orangey hue as the sun was setting, indicating the approach of dinnertime. The sidewalk clanked against their sneaker heels in the small neighborhood they were passing by as the street was quiet and most of those who were out that day had already headed home to enjoy the rest of their weekend with their families and loved ones. The Rokkaku pair both had their hands in their pockets, a rather signature habit of theirs, as they traveled side by side, neither having spoken in the past half hour.

Finally, Saeki broke the silence. "This is getting interesting."

Bane stopped in his footsteps, facing his companion as the other stopped as well. "What do you mean?"

"We've seen some unexpected developments today," Saeki smirked, glancing up to admire the beautiful colors painting the sky with amazing shades and hues. "Did you notice that that Rikkaidai captain didn't seem too pleased when he saw Tezuka holding Fuji?" He lowered his head, thinking. "He also mentioned that Sanada apparently didn't get any sleep last night. What a coincidence. And we know that Tachibana didn't get any sleep either, claiming he was up all night helping his sister. Atobe was at Tezuka's house as well, surprisingly." Saeki furrowed his brows. "Both Tachibana and Yukimura have pocketknives, but they could've lent theirs to someone the day that stage set fell. Even Echizen used Tachibana's pocketknife. I'm also wondering about Jirou. I think we can all see how much he likes Tezuka, but I'm surprised we didn't run into him today at the park, given the circumstances of recent events. I know it seems weird bringing him up since the stalker is after Fuji, but still, I think it's better that we keep an eye on that Hyotei regular too. And I don't know what on earth is going on with that Atobe with his strange questions. Meanwhile, the stalker seemed to have become more aggressive with his harassment, going so far as to show up at Tezuka's house when Shuusuke was there. And those roses and chocolates Shuusuke has received seem to grow bigger and more expensive each time. I'm starting to sense that the stalker is getting more desperate. I think he'll slip up any moment now." He looked at Bane. "What do you think—Oi! Were you even listening?"

Bane turned his attention back to his friend. "Saeki, are you still in love with Fuji?"

"Huh?" Saeki blinked, gaping. "What are you talking about? Did you not just hear what-"

"Today, the way you were looking at him." He glanced down. "Actually, the way you always look at him." He clenched his fists, clearly upset.

Saeki paused for a moment, rather taken back by this reaction. His friend's eyes, despite their confidence and seemingly laid-back nature, conveyed some uncertainty and agitation that left the vice-captain himself feeling rather uncomfortable. He responded, "I may have some lingering feelings here and there, but no, I wouldn't say I'm necessarily still in love with him. It's more that I see it as …a regrettable missed opportunity," Saeki responded, waiting carefully for his friend's reaction. "I still care about him as he is a good friend since we were in grade school, so this whole stalker thing has been on my mind. Bane, it's already gotten pretty dangerous, as I've repeated countless times."

Bane didn't say anything for a moment, and a slight awkwardness settled in on them. Finally, he lowered his head and said in a subdued tone, "I understand."

Saeki turned away to face forward once more. "I think we should move on and start with finding out where everyone was last night. We can ask their friends and teammates to confirm their alibis, if they have any. Of course, we'll have to be as subtle as possible too." He sighed. "This is going to be challenging. Hopefully we'll get some leads." He looked at his friend. "We start really investigating hard into this tomorrow during rehearsal when we're not up on stage performing. Let's get to the bottom of all this and find out where everyone was last night."

* * *

Tezuka sighed as he stared at his schedule for the week at his desk in his room, the dim lamp barely illuminating the whole area. It was another jam packed schedule, but it was also the last week of preparations before the festival next weekend, so in a way, the Seigaku student council president was looking forward to the week. He took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, relieving the stress in his eyes before putting the spectacles back on. He had rehearsed the lines with Fuji many times today, up to the point that he felt he knew the whole Romeo part by heart. He was also slightly agitated remembering the day's events, especially of Sanada and Atobe knocking Fuji down. Although he knows as well that it was an accident, he was definitely not happy about it. Had they been his own teammates, he would've assigned 100 laps to each person. On another note, Tezuka was also seriously considering Saeki's suggestion.

_Lure the stalker out._

It looks like he has no choice at this point. If they were to get the problem resolved as soon as possible before the day of the interschool festival, then they're going to have to catch the stalker in the act._  
_

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Tezuka reached over to pick it up. "Moshi moshi."

Silence.

He eyed the phone suspiciously. "Moshi moshi."

_Click._

Tezuka held the phone out before him, staring at it with an irritated expression. He hasn't had that prank call occur recently, and just as he was enjoying the peace, it has started again. Before the phone could ring again, he immediately shut it off. He felt bad, knowing that he is supposed to leave his phone on at all times given how the student council members have been calling him often with issues arising from the interschool festival preparations. But right now, he felt it better to not answer any calls given the chance of the stalker wanting to seemingly drive him mad with those incessant anonymous calls. That reminded him, he should really change that ringtone because now it's getting on his nerves every time it went off.

Tezuka set the phone down, going back to his schedule when he paused again. For a moment, he sat there, mind clearly debating over something. Following his instinct, he got up from his desk, went down the stairs, and placed his hand on the front door, taking a brief moment to breathe before opening it and walking straight outside. The sky was dark now, and the street was empty save for the usual cars that lined alongside the sidewalk. Tezuka stepped out, closing the door behind him carefully, before continuing forward. He stopped and looked around, eyes scanning the vicinity. For nearly ten minutes, Tezuka stood there in front of his house, waiting. And waiting-his ears raised like a hound, his eyes sharp like a hawk.

_Snap._

Tezuka's glasses flashed as he snapped his head at twenty degrees, peering into the quiet street for what sounded like a branch snapping. His heart pounded hard against his chest, steadily at first, then slowly increasing in speed as his skin tingled from the chilly air as he maintained his patience. His fingers twitched, with different muscles flexing in response as he parted his mouth slightly.

And then, without any warning, the Seigaku Buchou made a mad dash forward, heading straight for the bushes. Much to his delight, a dark shadowy figure immediately leaped out, running at surprising speed down the dark street.

Excited, Tezuka sprinted with all his might, his hard training from tennis practice kicking into gear as he ran and ran, the sound of heavy breathing joining the sounds of running feet that abruptly disturbed the cold, dark night. He could see the outlines of a tall individual before him, but the person was still too far ahead into the darkness to be seen clearly. Tezuka picked up the pace, passing by cars and houses as he wondered how this individual could be so fast as well. Whoever it was must be very fit, probably from participating in sports. That further reinforced his belief that the stalker was someone from one of the middle school tennis teams.

Tezuka saw the person switch paths back onto the sidewalk and leap over a group of bushes that were in the way, but the bespectacled man would not let such speed deter him, and he hopped over the bushes as well as he followed close behind. They actually hadn't been running for that long, but Tezuka felt like they had been running forever. That reminded him, he had forgotten to lock the door earlier, but this is more urgent. He must catch this perpetrator once and for all and end all the nuances he had been causing! No more prank calls. No more gifts. No more stage sets being dropped on individuals in his school. All of that will end tonight! Noticing that the individual was ready to turn a corner, Tezuka calculated the steps way ahead of time, switching gears as he ran diagonally at the very last moment, kicking off to purposely have the perpetrator run right into him…

There was a loud crash, and the two tumbled hard and fell to the cold ground, entering a scuffle as Tezuka attempted to pin the dark figure to the ground. There was more resistance, the individual rather strong as well, as the two rolled on the dark sidewalk right into the glare of the streetlight a few feet away from them. Heart pounding eagerly and adrenaline pumping into his veins, Tezuka pinned the person down tightly against the ground, finally staring straight into the face of…

"A-Atobe?"


	18. Chapter 18

**Hi Everyone! Some of you were asking how to update a chapter in your story. I had left instructions in the Review Section for Chapter 17. Please look for that review with my instructions. :) **

**Also, just wanted to say again that I appreciate all the comments! Regarding a review about my spelling of the word "pissed," thanks for pointing that out. I know how it's spelled, but had developed a bad habit of spelling it "pisst." I'll be more conscious of spelling it correctly. Thanks for the note!  
**

**This chapter is longer than usual, so hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 18

Tezuka wasn't one to speak much to begin with, but this was one of those times where one can accurately describe that he was left utterly speechless. The bespectacled man blinked at the haughty face of the pompous man beneath him, the streetlamp illuminating parts of that frame that was also partially covered by the Seigaku Buchou's own shadow hovering over him.

"Oi, get off of me!" Atobe ordered, attempting to get up.

Tezuka furrowed his brows. He grabbed the Hyotei captain by the collar, surprising the silver-haired male who was being lifted onto his feet with such strength.

Both standing, Tezuka tightened his grip, glaring straight into dark gray eyes that stared at this unusual reaction from the normally calm Seigaku Buchou. "Atobe, you were the one stalking us?" Tezuka bit through clenched teeth, his eyes flaring dangerously.

"Stalk-stalking?" Atobe's eyes widened, not exactly expecting such a response.

"I would not think that someone like you would tread so low with your actions," Tezuka scolded, entering his lecture mode. "I thought better of you, but for you to go so far as to come to my house in this manner just makes you irresponsible and immature. I am very disappointed."

Atobe blinked before intensifying his own glare at his rival's scalding words. "Irresponsible and immature? Why, Tezuka, _you_ are the one who is irresponsible and immature."

Tezuka blinked, surprised by this reply, when Atobe swatted his hand away, forcing him to release his grip on the other man.

The Hyotei captain dusted himself off as though he was covered in unpleasant germs before turning his gaze at the other. "I should be the one to say I am disappointed. For you to go so far as to cover up your injury like that, and yet still practice and risk further injuring yourself, makes you even more irresponsible."

If Tezuka wasn't confused before, he was definitely confused now. He opened his mouth to say something before closing it, not quite sure what to make of this.

Atobe continued. "Did you think that no one would find out about your injury? You are too naïve, Tezuka! One of us was going to find out sooner or later, and that one of us is me." He crossed his arms, clearly showing his displeasure. "It is unfair of you to get injured and hide it from me, especially since I have not had the chance to defeat you when you were in your top form." He stopped upon seeing Tezuka hold up both of his hands.

"Wait, Atobe. I thought…you mean…regarding Fuji-"

"Ah, Fuji," Atobe glanced up, thinking. "Yes, you only told _him_. I see. You didn't even tell your own teammates. Ah-Ha!" He pointed his finger at Tezuka accusingly. "Such an irresponsible captain you are! I expected better of you, Tezuka! To even hide it from your own teammates…"

Tezuka gaped, now completely flabbergasted as he watched Atobe continue with his ramblings.

"Don't think I will just sit back and pretend I didn't know! I will expose you, and you will then be forced to face the reality that you will need to take a break and heal before you can come back to play in the tournaments." Atobe sprawled his fingers across his face, peering through at the stunned Seigaku Buchou. "Yes, I admit, I followed you home because I wanted proof. Nothing escapes the eyes of the great Atobe." He pointed his finger at Tezuka once more, making the man jump back slightly in surprise. "By tomorrow, the truth will come out, I assure you. I will prove that you have an injury, and you will no longer be able to hide it!" With his head held high, Atobe proudly walked away into the night, passing by streetlamp after lamp until he turned at a crossroad and disappeared around a corner.

Meanwhile, Tezuka stood there, absolutely confounded and in disbelief by the incident. To think that Atobe was still on this whole nonsense! He pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned, easily irascible by this point. Wanting to forget about everything, he took a step back towards the direction of his house when he remembered he had left his house in a rush…without locking the door! The bespectacled man dashed home as fast as he could, taking large strides as he passed by the dark houses and cars lining the sidewalk. Upon reaching the quiet house, he entered the front door carefully, locked it behind him, and checked to see if anything was out of place.

The kitchen and living room appeared untouched and undisturbed. Still, he cannot afford to be careless and let his guard down, so he slowly checked every single room in the house.

Well, almost every single one.

Tezuka stopped at the entrance to his own room last. His heart pounding slowly, loudly, he took a step forward as eyes scanned the area carefully for any signs of movement or misplaced items. His desk was just as he left it, and nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Then, his eyes darted to the closet on the side. A sweat drop formed on his left temple as he watched that closet door for what felt like minutes. Carefully, he walked over, placing his hand on it as though feeling for a heartbeat. Swallowing the lump in his throat and taking a deep breath, Tezuka swung the door open, feeling the small wind rush past him as he prepared himself.

Only his clothes and school supplies filled the tight space.

Blinking, Tezuka breathed out in quiet relief. It would appear that he was lucky, and that the stalker did not take advantage of this missed opportunity. Realizing that his heart was downright pounding by now, Tezuka wiped the sweat off his forehead, feeling rather weighted down by the evening's events. Was Atobe telling the truth? Was he really just trying to find out if he had an injury, as bizarre as it seemed? Tezuka then regretted that he wasn't more aggressive with his interrogation, or lack of, and that he had let Atobe go too easily. Was the Hyotei captain really there for the reasons he gave? Or was he hiding his true intentions?

Either way, Tezuka knew he had no real proof at this time. As suspicious as it was that Atobe was at his place, there was no real clear indication that he was there to stalk him and Fuji. Perhaps the haughty and irritating male really was delusional about his so-called "injury."

Tezuka sat down on his bed, tired. It has been a long day, and he just wanted to rest before tomorrow's crazy schedule repeats. Stretching, he got up and went to the bathroom to shower. The warm water felt so soothing, trickling down his skin and calming his nerves as the steam filled the small room and washed away the sweat and stress. Tezuka sighed quietly, letting himself enjoy the moment a little longer. When he was done, he got into his pajamas and turned off the lights before crawling into bed.

And then, he immediately sat back up, remembering something. He hopped out, opening the closet door and reaching up for the top shelf.

The velvet pouch was still there. Wanting to double check, he opened the bag and peered inside, feeling for those two rings before pulling them out. The symbolic items glistened beneath the ray of the moonlight emanating from the window. Relieved, Tezuka tucked them back in and, this time, placed them in his desk drawer. Now feeling satisfied, he went back to bed, set aside his glasses, and fell asleep.

* * *

Tezuka's mind had fallen into a deep slumber of dreamland, his body relaxed and heart beating at a steady pace as the night hours elapsed. Opening his eyes, he saw Fuji smiling down at him, that sweet tender smile the tensai always endowed him with generously. A hand graced his cheek, surprising the Seigaku Buchou as he only stared in complete peace at the tensai, who stroked his face gently. Kind blue eyes continued to radiate with affection, leaving Tezuka rather content as he lay there calmly, breathing steadily, restfully. He closed his eyes again, feeling that hand trail down his neck gingerly, brusquely. He gasped as the hand rested on his chest and massaged in circular motions, sending a sensation riveting throughout his body. He arched upward, surprised as Fuji's finger twirled a nipple through the cloth, embarrassing the usually austere man. Two hands now roamed over his thighs and crotch, filling him up and causing him to twist and turn and moan in a state of euphoria. He felt fingers now grow bolder as his waist is groped. He felt his eyebrows twitch as another hand continued to roam his chest while the first now lingered downward around that sensitive spot, trailing up his leg teasingly. He swayed his head the other way, tensed as he felt a palm roam around the back of his buttocks, and another stroke his cheek and neck. Then, the hands became even more intense, suffocating him and smoldering him, and he felt like he was drowning and losing air as his breathing grew more erratic and he slowly opened his eyes in a drunken stupor.

A shadowy faceless figure towered over him.

Tezuka's eyes widened, pupils dilating and body freezing. Blood gone icy cold, he swallowed as he felt those hands now travel upwards towards his shoulders, pressing down hard and searching every inch of his flesh. Desperate and on high alert, Tezuka attempted to move, but found himself completely paralyzed as his muscles refused to comply. Instead, he watched with terrifying eyes at the faceless dark figure that continued to hover over him. He opened his mouth, wanting to call out, to yell at the intruder to leave and scare him off, to get up and push this individual to the ground. But neither his voice nor his limbs would comply, and he lay helplessly as he felt the hands now travel downward. He arched his back as the hand pressed up against his crotch more roughly this time, groping him inappropriately.

He mouthed out silently.

_Fuji…Fuji…_

No, this wasn't Fuji. This wasn't Fuji at all. The touches were different. They were completely different.

They were cold.

And this sent Tezuka's heart pounding even more.

Anxious, Tezuka swallowed and tried hard to will his muscles to move, but unsuccessfully as hands picked up their pace and began grabbing at every flesh within reach. Tezuka shook, the fear rendering him immobile as he struggled to move in vain. He finally let out a sound, a gasp, as a hand slid up into his shirt. Cold, callous palms violated his body, fingers scratching over the rib cage and pinching pink buds as hard breathing filled the side of his face. And yet, the shadowy figure remained faceless, invisible, completely blank, which further perturbed the normally calm, stoic Buchou as he became enmeshed in the limbs of this perpetrator. Tezuka let out a gasp again, desperately trying to move away as he felt in horror those hands grip his arms, his legs, his thighs. He cried out silently for it to stop, feeling those disgusting hands disobey and refuse to quit as they roamed all over his body shamelessly, teasingly, mockingly in the most disgraceful manner. He opened his mouth, the urge to yell building up as his apprehensive eyes continued to gaze into a faceless shadow. And then, a hand settled on his stomach, lying still for a torturous moment before slowly sliding downward into his pants…

Tezuka shook, staring at the blank, white ceiling above him. The alarm clock blared loudly, sharply, poignantly in his ear, filling the room with its incessant noise that disturbed the air in a rude awakening. Blinking rapidly and seeing the room clearly in the light, Tezuka found himself panting, gasping for breath, his skin drenched in cold sweat. He sat up straight, immediately feeling his body with his own hands, the blanket slipping off him as he swallowed and gasped some more. Breathing hard, he looked around the room, eyes darting from one side to another. Rays of sunlight reached through the windows, illuminating the room with its welcoming embrace for the warm morning.

Disoriented, Tezuka brought his hand to his forehead and felt no fever, only more sweat. He closed his eyes momentarily before opening them again and swallowing uncomfortably.

"Kunimitsu."

Tezuka glanced up, finding his mother at the opened door, knocking before stepping in.

"I made breakfast, so quickly get dressed and come to eat," his mother smiled warmly at him.

Tezuka blinked. "Aa, hai…" he replied quietly. As his mother was about to step out, he quickly called out, "Wait. Okasan."

His mother turned around. "Yes, Kunimitsu?"

"When…when did you all get home?"

"Why, we got home early this morning. My, it was a great weekend, although your grandfather has not returned yet."

"Oh." He glanced down.

"Kunimitsu, is there something wrong? You look rather pale."

"Huh? Oh, no. I am fine."

"Okay. Then quickly come down to eat. Perhaps you are malnourished. You probably didn't eat much while we were out, and only practiced tennis all day long," she chuckled, leaving the room and heading back down the stairs to the kitchen.

For a second, Tezuka stared at the door before looking down again. Such a disturbing dream. With the cold sweat he was drenched in, he debated if he should shower again, but then, he may not have the time. Opening his mouth, he breathed out in relief, feeling his nerves calm down. He was grateful that it was morning. Reaching over his bedside cupboard, he grabbed his glasses and put them on before glancing up.

And then he shook.

Jumping out of bed, he took two quick strides to his desk, glancing down in horror at the velvet pouch that was now on top of the table, the bag clearly opened. Immediately, he reached inside, feeling, much to his relief, two rings linger around his fingers. Wanting to make sure, he pulled them out and opened his palm to find them safely in place, neither taken. Normally, Tezuka would be relieved at this, but the situation only served to prove to him what he dreaded facing—

Throughout the night, he wasn't alone at all.

* * *

It was the beginning of the second week of interschool preparations that morning, and all the students were starting to feel the pressure, if they haven't already, of the upcoming deadline. With the stringent schedule the student council had in place, many knew that the staff would be making their rounds even more so this time around to ensure that all were on schedule.

The school play was of no exception.

Everyone rushed around, bustling about as they prepared for their daily rehearsal in the auditorium. Backstage crew members worked on double time, watching with satisfaction as their props and structures were finally coming together, and some have even began painting a few of them. Costume designers were ahead of schedule, and a few have begun assisting the backstage crew with fabrics that were needed for the props.

Everything seemed to be well underway.

Fuji was sitting at the edge of the stage, quietly reciting his lines before rehearsal began when he caught sight of Tezuka coming in from the entrance door. Smiling, he watched the handsome austere man walk down the aisle, his presence as domineering as ever in the room. But to Fuji's surprise, the bespectacled student council president headed off to the side once he was at the bottom, and ended up in an inaudible conversation with the data collector of Seigaku.

"Good morning, Tezuka," Inui greeted his captain.

"Aa, good morning."

"You look like you have something on your mind."

"Yes, let's talk somewhere else."

Nodding with tacit understanding, Inui walked with Tezuka to a corner at the end of the aisles off to the side, away from earshot of everyone.

"Inui," Tezuka began. "Will you be able to extract any data from these?" He rummaged through his bag and pulled out the red pouch.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "Is there something wrong with the rings I gave you?"

"No. The rings are fine." Tezuka lowered his gaze. "What I want to know is…can you pick up any…fingerprints?"

Inui looked rather surprised by this request. "You mean, other than our own already on the rings?"

"Aa."

"Yes, but it will be difficult. The rings are so small, so there's a 99 percent chance of not having a whole clear fingerprint easily seen. However, there's a 70 percent chance that I can get enough of the partial fingerprint to identify a third party." Inui took out his notebook subtly. "Please, tell me. Who are you suspecting? Was someone trying to take the rings?"

"Aa," Tezuka responded in short. No need to fill Inui in on the rest of the details yet.

Inui seemed to pick up on the matter not being so simple, but knowing his captain, he didn't probe any further. "I'll take a look and see what I can do. I already have a copy of your fingerprint, so I'll be able to decipher if there's any foreign ones."

Tezuka furrowed his brows, perturbed by the fact that Inui actually has his fingerprints on file.

Inui took the red pouch and stuffed it into his pocket. He turned around and walked away, jotting into his notebook with a smile, "Ii data."

Meanwhile, Tezuka watched the back of Inui as the tallest Seigaku regular walked away when Fuji suddenly appeared before him.

"Ne, Tezuka, is there something wrong?"

Startled, Tezuka nearly jumped, surprised by the tensai's sudden presence, but quickly maintained his composure. "Ahem. No, everything is fine. I just needed to discuss the training regimen with Inui."

Fuji blinked, large blue eyes watching Tezuka curiously. The tensai cocked his head at an angle and then leaned forward to get a closer look. "Hm? You look rather pale. Is everything all right?"

"Aa," Tezuka answered in the same stoic, monotonous tone.

But the tensai did not seem convinced. Before Fuji could ask anymore, Tomoka had already yelled into her megaphone that rehearsal was about to begin, and that by now, everyone should have had their lines memorized. This week will concentrate on perfecting everything. As the ensemble gathered at their respective places, Fuji took another glance at Tezuka from the stage. The bespectacled man was conversing with Tomoka as usual, but the tensai couldn't help but notice that Tezuka seemed rather…off, just now. Fuji has seen his captain act this way a few times before, and usually it was because something rather unsettling had just happened. The man definitely looked paler than usual, though not completely, but there was a change in his face despite those wooden expressions he always has. Fuji decided to wait until break to talk to Tezuka about it. He was starting to worry.

"Oi, where's Jirou?" Atobe asked out loud, drawing attention to himself.

"I think he's late once again," Oshitari crossed his arms, annoyed.

"Tsk tsk. If Jirou doesn't get his act together, he's going to get kicked out of the play AND off the team," the acrobatic boy of Hyotei remarked, placing his hands behind his head and taking a step back when he accidentally bumped into something.

"Ouch! Hey, watch it!"

The Hyotei regular turned around to find the famous freshman from Seigaku kneeled on the ground, picking up his supplies. "Move it, shrimp. We're going to begin rehearsal."

"Hai hai," Echizen waved him off, moving the materials. "Hm, Eiji-senpai was right. Your acrobatic skills seemed to have declined since you weren't coordinated enough to avoid bumping into me."

Mukahai made an angry face as the freshman snorted out a laugh and left for the back of the stage.

"Hey, Echizen, nice retort," Momoshiro said as he watched the first year settle next to him.

Echizen simply waved him off.

"So, looks like I'm winning this bet."

The green-eyed boy peered upward at his senpai. "What do you mean, Momo-senpai?"

"Not telling," Momoshiro winked, walking away and whistling with his hands placed behind his head.

Suddenly, there was the sound of the front doors bursting open, causing an echo to ricochet off the auditorium walls. "Gomen! I'm here!" Jirou burst through the entrance on cue, gasping for breath. Everyone in the auditorium turned their attention to the front where the exuberant Hyotei regular quickly ran down the aisle. "Gomen, gomen, I overslept," Jirou apologized once he reached the front of the stage, bowing to Tezuka, Tomoka, and then Atobe.

Atobe crossed his arms disapprovingly. "Jirou! We know you like to sleep all the time, but this was unacceptable. I am assigning you 50 laps at our next practice!"

The punishment immediately stunned the young player, and he lowered his head in shame as he made his way to drop off his belongings at the side before joining his team.

Fuji watched this with amusement, clearly enjoying it. Serves Jirou right for constantly trying to take Tezuka's attention away.

"Let's start from the top!" Tomoka ordered through the megaphone. "We're running on a tight schedule, people. Let's not waste anymore time, or as Tezuka Buchou would say, let's not get careless!"

And thus, the Prologue began.

* * *

As rehearsal went on, Tezuka's mind filled with last night's event. The more he thought about it, the more his blood became colder. _Someone was watching me._

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?" Saeki recited Abram's famous line on stage, showing his annoyance and clear dislike for the individual before him.

_Someone was in my house_

"I do bite my thumb, sir." Kamio answered back with a teasing flare.

_Someone was in my room._

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

_Someone was in my room with me._

"Is the law of our side if I say 'ay'?"

_Someone was watching me sleep._

"No."

_Someone was purposely humiliating me._

"No, sir. I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir."

Tezuka shut his eyes, the eerie feeling of those shadowy hands suffocating him, smoldering him, laughing at him in the most disrespectful way. The faceless figure hovered before him, inching in closer.

"Oi, is it getting hot in here?"

Tezuka's eyes shot wide open, and he looked on stage as he saw Kabaji fanning Atobe with what looked like a giant, ornate, archaic fan embellished with eloquent designs.

"This room is getting stuffy," Atobe continued complaining.

"Actually, it is quite warm. I'm getting pretty hot myself," Kamio said, loosening his shirt collar as practice was momentarily halted.

"I thought it was only me, but now that you mentioned it, I guess it's the room that is warm," Niou chimed in. "Much too warm."

"Hm, it is unusually warm," Yukimura noted. "Is there something wrong with the heater?"

Soon, the rest of the group began to add in their complaints, commenting on the stuffiness of the auditorium. Tomoka looked to Tezuka for what to do when the student council president immediately responded, "I'll go down to the basement level to check on the heater. You can give everyone a break now."

Tomoka nodded with a smile before calling into her megaphone for everyone to rest for a moment as the temperature is fixed.

Meanwhile, Tezuka headed down the stairs on the side, arriving in the basement that sits right underneath the stage and seas of chairs. There, he walked through the corridor, passing by some of the dressing rooms before arriving at one door that was clearly different from the others. He opened it and stepped inside, feeling the heat emitting from the furnace that sat at the other corner end of the room, with a pipe attached to the ceiling that harbored multiple pipes split off into an elaborate web to transfer the warmth throughout the auditorium. It was a very old, outdated furnace with a small fire burning inside the caged opening. Tezuka made a mental note to install the auditorium with a proper, upgraded, digital heater instead of continuing to use such an archaic model. For now, he will have to make do with the adjustment himself. Taking a ranch set on the side and using it on the furnace, he adjusted the knob for the temperature when he heard someone from behind walk into the room as well.

"Tezuka, do you need any help"

Tezuka turned around. "No, I am fine, Tachibana. I have already adjusted the temperature."

"That's good," Tachibana responded. "It was getting too warm in the auditorium, and quite a few of the regulars looked like they were starting to get heat strokes," he chuckled jokingly.

Tezuka nodded his head. "Aa."

"By the way," Tachibana continued. "You may want to get this door checked." He placed his hand on the opened door. "Earlier that day before that accident with the structure happened on stage, your first year club member, Horio, had unwittingly locked himself in here. He was trying to adjust the temperature, but apparently, when the door is shut from the inside, it automatically locks itself and cannot be unlocked unless opened from the outside. The poor freshman was so scared and pounding on the door crying out for someone to rescue him. Luckily, Sanada happened to be walking this corridor and heard him before quickly letting him out."

Tezuka blinked before sighing. This whole auditorium was old. It was going to already eat away the budget having to have this furnace replaced with something more up-to-date. But at least this door only needed the lock to be switched out. "Aa, thank you for letting me know. I will report this to the staff and file a request to maintenance. In the meantime, no one else should come down here to this room unless they have someone else with them. We cannot afford to be careless and accidentally have a student locked down here again."

Tachibana nodded. "Hm. I can pass on the message to Tomoka to make the announcement."

"Please do. I have to go start my rounds in the school." Tezuka set the ranch aside and took a step forward towards the door where Tachibana was standing when he suddenly felt chills run down his spine. He stopped for a moment and glanced up, watching the Fudomine captain blink blankly at him.

"What's wrong, Tezuka?" Tachibana asked.

Tezuka paused for a moment, seemingly thinking before returning his gaze. "Nothing."

* * *

Back upstairs in the auditorium, Saeki breathed in relief at the feel of the temperature beginning to cool. It was much too warm earlier, and he was even considering unbuttoning his shirt, as inappropriate as it would have been to do so in the school. Standing on the stage, he stuck his hands into his pockets and glanced up behind him where the ropes hung. Now that he thought more about it, he wondered how the perpetrator could've cut the ropes without anyone noticing? In fact, the whole process was still unclear, from the rope to sandbag to the structure. There was an obvious delay in the time between the rope being cut and the sandbag reaching the…

"Saeki, look over there," Bane interrupted the Rokkaku vice-captain's train of thought.

Saeki glanced over to the front row where a certain blue-haired male sat with his arms and legs crossed, seemingly at peace with himself. The Rokkaku third year turned to his companion. "So our investigations continue."

Bane nodded, and followed his friend as the two strolled off the stage, down the small steps, and onto the floor towards the front row seats.

Yukimura glanced up, a pleasant smile gracing his features as he nodded in a greeting to the Rokkaku pair.

"Glad that it isn't so hot in here anymore, Yukimura Buchou?" Saeki began, plotting himself two seats away from the Rikkaidai regular, sprawling out his hands out in a relaxed position while Bane sat on the other side of the Rokkaku vice-captain.

"Hm, it was much too warm earlier," Yukimura replied, keeping his eyes forward on the stage. "I was afraid that a few of the regulars were going to faint from the heat."

Saeki chuckled. "I take it your weekend went well? You seemed to have enjoyed the day at the park."

"Yes, it was nice to take a stroll and get some fresh air. And you?"

"It was a good weekend for me too. Although, I wished we didn't have to rehearse on Saturday."

"At least it was a half day," Yukimura smiled, although still not looking at Saeki.

"Did you and your team have practice right after that?" Saeki asked, now looking up at the ceiling to keep his eyes seemingly occupied.

"Yes, we had practice."

"Was that all you and your team did? You all seem to practice a lot."

"Yes, that was all we did. In fact, we practiced until late."

"Oh, how late?" Saeki turned his head and felt his lungs nearly give away at finding himself in front of a pair of dark ocean blue eyes upon him with an elusive smile. There was something rather unsettling in the way those eyes looked at him, seemingly pleasant at first, but at the same time enthralling the onlooker in a dangerously captivating way that leaves one feeling encumbered. Saeki's heart secretly pounded hard against his chest as he stared into the deepness of those dark orbs that locked his gaze with an invisible force that left him lost in the abyss. His senses began to shut down, one by one, as the surrounding environment grew dimmer, quieter, and colder.

"Very late." Yukimura's voice was the only one that filled Saeki's ears poignantly, clearly, echoing in a strange manner, those lips mouthing each word explicitly before his eyes. The darkness began to cloud his vision as everything went silent except for those final words that ricocheted in his ears. "And then, we all went home."

Saeki blinked, hearing the chattering in the auditorium crescendo and return, and he sat up as he found himself still looking at the Rikkaidai captain who only beamed at him friendly as the air warmed again.

"Well, it looks like rehearsal is about to begin again," Yukimura smiled. "We should get back on stage."

"Oh, yes. Right," Saeki said, finding himself slightly shaken, although he wasn't sure why. He watched as the blue-haired male stood up and gracefully walked away with that eminent presence of one who reigned as the best tennis player in the middle school world.

"Hey, Saeki, you okay?" Bane asked.

"Huh?" Saeki, startled, turned to his friend sitting next to him.

"Well, you looked rather pale just now," Bane frowned. "Like you're anemic."

"Oh, really?" Saeki felt his forehead, finding in surprise cold sweat tracing his skin.

"Oi, do you have a fever?"

"No, I'm fine." He immediately stood up, wobbling a little unexpectedly before finding his composure. "Let's…let's continue investigating during lunch."

* * *

Tezuka strolled through the hallways, checking to see that the clubs were in order and on schedule as students rushed around to try to make it through another week of planning and preparations. Most were already very excited for the day the festival arrives. The bespectacled student council president turned a corner, and noticed from his peripheral vision a few peers who seem to be whispering amongst themselves with their eyes intent on him. Finding this strange, he turned to his side and noticed more groups of students doing the same. How odd. Was there something on his face?

"Ano…"

Tezuka stopped and glanced down to find a young female third year looking up at him with blushed cheeks. "Ano, Tezuka Senpai. You, you…you…" she struggled for the words before finally blurting out, "You can't transfer to another school! We need you here!"

Tezuka blinked, surprised when suddenly another young female student jumped in. "Tezuka Kaichou, you can't just leave us like this. Seigaku needs you!"

"Tezuka!" The student council vice-president ran up to him, clearly out of breath. "I just heard early this morning! Are you really transferring to Hyotei?"

"Rikkaidai! I heard he's going to Rikkaidai!" The secretary suddenly appeared. "Tezuka Kaichou, how could you not tell your own student council?"

Tezuka's mouth fell ajar as he stared at all these students starting to gather around him. The crowd grew bigger and bigger, which made Tezuka uneasy as a barrage of questions were thrown at him.

"Tezuka Senpai, Seigaku needs you!"

"Are you really leaving?"

"How can you leave just months before your graduation?"

"What about nationals? Doesn't the tennis team need you?"

"Tezuka Kaichou! I love you! You can't leave!"

"KYAAAAAAA!"

Amidst the confusion and chaos, Tezuka managed to slip away and disappear around another hallway, dodging students and more questions as he finally reached a certain door, opened it, and shut it behind him in haste. Breathing out in relief, he straightened himself up and turned around when…

"Fuji!"

Fuji blinked before beaming at him from the couch.

"Fuji, I thought I told you, the student council room is off limits to all other students except for those in-"

"Hai hai, I know," Fuji waved off the lecture, getting up from the couch and walking towards him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in rehearsal? There's still ten minutes until lunch."

"We got out ten minutes early. And by the way, you look quite rattled." He chuckled in amusement. "I take it the rumors have finally reached you?"

Tezuka grimaced. "Aa." He had forgotten what had happened in the park yesterday afternoon. Now, he found himself furrowing his brows disapprovingly at Fuji. "It was all your fault."

Fuji shrugged. "It was the first thing that came up to mind when I was trying to cover up my slip up. But ne, doesn't it make you proud that both Hyotei and Rikkaidai are fighting for you?"

"Fuji!"

"Also," The hazelnut regular's face suddenly became more serious, which was a rarity. "You looked rather pale this morning." He reached his hand up towards that austere face. "And I don't think it's just because of the rumor-" Much to the tensai's shock, Tezuka twitched and flicked his face away from the touch, a flash of unease in those deep brown eyes before the same stoic expression returned. Fuji blinked. "Tezuka? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Tezuka responded tacitly.

"Tezuka, you're acting strange." Fuji stroked his cheek, but the tall, bespectacled student council president backed away, finding his own actions surprising as well. Frowning suspiciously, Fuji carefully approached the man. "Did something…happen?" The tensai watched as Tezuka glanced up, visibly remembering something before avoiding eye contact. Knowing that this behavior is much too unusual, Fuji gently touched Tezuka's hand, this time finding the man forcing himself to remain still. "Tezuka, tell me. What happened?"

Tezuka paused for a moment, debating silently to himself as he evaded those clear blue orbs. And then, he locked gaze with Fuji. "Someone was in my room last night when I was asleep."

* * *

"What? He molested you?"

Tezuka felt his face flushed as he tried to make Fuji lower his voice. "That's not what I said, and I am not sure. It felt like a bad nightmare. But someone was definitely there."

"So he actually moved the stuff on your desk," Fuji asked eagerly with concern. "Why would he rummage through your desk?"

True, Tezuka had, of course, avoided mentioning the red velvet pouch that was opened, but with good reason. He's not lying to Fuji, for lying would be bad. He just gave very general information. "Aa, I found it strange too," he remarked.

"Hm." Fuji rubbed his chin, thinking while the two sat on the couch. "I don't like the idea of someone touching you. Sounds like he's trying to humiliate you and make fun of you in a very demeaning manner."

"Aa." And then, Tezuka's eyes flickered. He cupped Fuji's face and turned it towards him, surprising the tensai. "Fuji! Why do you have traces of chocolate on the corner of your mouth?"

"Eh?" Fuji blinked, surprised.

"Fuji!"

"Oh, hehe." He pulled back from Tezuka's grasp and scratched the back of his head with slight embarrassment.

"You, you, did you receive more chocolates in your locker this morning?"

"Well…" Fuji glanced away with a guilty smile.

"Fuji! Those are from the stalker!"

"Ah, but Tezuka, you don't understand! The chocolates this time looked too irresistible! They were wasabi filled!"

"Wasabi filled?" Tezuka blinked. "You mean, the stalker…he bought you wasabi filled chocolates?"

"Hm. It would seem such a waste to toss them."

"He knows you like wasabi?" At this notion, Tezuka was furious.

"Tezuka, gomen. Don't be mad. It was my fault for being too weak to wasabi."

"Fuji, I was molested last night by the same stalker and yet you ate his chocolates?"

Fuji sighed. Okay, so perhaps he deserved a little bit of scolding. Just a little. Blue eyes flickering, he leaned over and pushed Tezuka down onto the couch, pouncing on him literally.

"Fuji! This is no time to-"

"Tezuka, do you want me to make you forget that that man ever touched you?"

The bespectacled student council president blinked blankly, confused and naïve by the innuendo in that statement.

Fuji smiled at Tezuka's obliviousness. He closed in on the other and said coyly against his lips, "Allow me to erase last night's nightmare." He latched onto that mouth, hearing the other gasp in surprise. Breathing in deeply, he probed his tongue in aggressively, licking that warm cavern and tasting the other man hungrily.

Tezuka's eyes widened at the deep kiss, and he moaned and backed further against the couch before pushing Fuji up, breaking the kiss. "Fuji, no. Lunch time is about to begin. We should go eat."

"Having you for lunch is enough for me," Fuji whispered huskily as he grinded himself against the other man, eliciting a groan that left Tezuka embarrassed. "Now tell me, where did he touch you?"

* * *

Atobe took a casual stroll through the halls as lunch began. His sharp peripheral vision caught sight of a few of the female students blushing and whispering amongst themselves about the famed Hyotei student council president and tennis captain. Atobe smirked to himself, satisfied with the reactions his very presence was eliciting. Why, of course he would receive such praise-worthy reactions from the students of Seigaku. Perhaps he is even more popular here than that Tezuka is.

Speaking of Tezuka…

Atobe glanced up. He had endeavored to expose the Seigaku captain's secret by today. All shall know that he has been injured, and that he will have to take time to recover again before competing and meet his defeat at the hands of the one and only, the great Atobe Keigo.

"Hmph." Atobe smiled to himself, eager for that day when he suddenly stopped at the sounds of familiar muffled voices. Turning to his side, he found himself standing in front of a door with the label "Student Council" laid across the mosaic glass.

"No, not now. Ouch, Fuji, that hurt!"

"Just be good, Tezuka, and I'll be gentler."

Atobe blinked and, in a flurry of excitement, pressed his ears up against the glass to hear better the muffled voices emanating from the room.

"Fuji, stop. Not here. Somebody may see."

"Don't worry, Tezuka. I just need to give your body a proper checkup."

Atobe grinned exuberantly to himself, his eyes flashing at the prospect of striking gold. It would appear that both Tezuka and Fuji are inside, no doubt up to something. A checkup? No wonder Fuji was always with Tezuka. He had been tending to the Seigaku captain's injury ever since. What a loyal teammate worthy of admiration. But still, Atobe needed proof. No, he doesn't need proof. He just needed to catch both in the act, and he will see for himself what the injury is, and force Tezuka to come clean. Is today really his lucky day?

Curious, Atobe placed his hand on the doorknob and quietly turned it carefully.

Not locked—Lucky day indeed!

With a determined smile of a predator about to jump on his prey, Atobe pushed the door open and rushed in, ready to proclaim out loud to the world the truth of the Seigaku captain!

"I have you now, Tezuka-!" Atobe leaned forward and froze half way, finger out in midair. His eyes stared at the ground where the tensai was hovering over a stunned bespectacled man pressed up with his back against the bottom of the couch, a clearly rattled, horrified, and stunned look in the deep brown eyes of the normally stoic face that now began to flush like a bright red bulb. The tensai stared back with blue eyes that appeared to be calmly surprised by the intrusion, locking gaze with the unexpected visitor that had just entered the room unannounced. Slowly, Atobe's dark gray eyes trailed down an arm to a hand that was completely hidden and slipped within the front of Tezuka's black school pants.

For what felt like an eternity, an awkward silence befell the room. The second hand on the wall clock ticked away at a steady rate, the loud clicks clearly audible in the still air with each second that elapsed. A bird from the outside perched itself on the partially opened window in the room, chirping its spring music as it tilted its head curiously at the interesting sight before it. Students' footsteps and ramblings filled the hallways as everyone rushed eagerly to lunch in the cafeteria. Teachers called out from nearby rooms, reminding students to remain orderly and to not run in the buildings to avoid hurting one another by accident. Doors opened and closed to indicate some club members locking up their belongings in case there were any risks of their precious work being tampered with while they were gone.

But in the student council room, Tezuka's eyes were completely enlarged, skin having gone cold and mouth gaping in shock as across from him stood Atobe with his mouth half open, unable to finish what he now forgot what he had been attempting to say. The Hyotei captain seemed to have become ghostly pale, as though a bucket of ice cold water had been splashed across his face. The awkwardness continued until, finally, Atobe calmly retracted his hand. And then, turning swiftly around, he marched rather robotically out the door, casually, slowly, carefully, before politely closing the door behind him and walking away down the hall of Seigaku.


	19. Chapter 19

**Sorry that this update took so long! It got busy again, and I wasn't able to get to this story until recently. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it!**

**Also, someone asked in the review section if they could use these two characters with similar personalities in their story - yes, that's fine. Thanks for asking! I really appreciate it. **

**And now, on with the story!**

* * *

Chapter 19

For everyone in the middle school world, you either loved the great Atobe Keigo or hated him. He was known as a man of confidence, of pride, of arrogance, of extreme riches and lavishness, and of beauty among the females of Hyotei Academy. But regardless of his extreme ego and constant reference to himself as "Ore-sama," there was no doubt about the man's hardworking ethic, responsibility as student council president, loyalty and dedication to his team as captain, and incredible talents in the world of tennis. Atobe never made mistakes. Or rather, no one dared to question him. Atobe never showed any weaknesses, for he is the one who sees the weaknesses of others with that surreal power in his eyes. Atobe never slips up, or displays any self-doubt in himself. To everyone's knowledge, the great Atobe Keigo is a man who will never show lack of confidence in anything, especially with that inflated ego he maintains.

But that day at Seigaku, during rehearsal in the large auditorium in the final week of preparations for the interschool festival, the great Atobe Keigo was acting strangely…off.

"Hey, what's with Atobe Buchou?" Mukahai asked Oshitari on stage as they watched Atobe stand there staring blankly at the curtains on the side, completely zoned out. "He's been like that for the past 20 minutes since we got back from lunch. Any ideas?"

Oshitari merely shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe he's having his zen moment before he begins his magnificent display of his acting skills for rehearsal."

Mukahai wasn't sure if he heard a hint of sarcasm in his comrade's words.

Meanwhile, down below the stage around the first row, Tezuka had his head in his hand, groaning silently to himself at the mess that he had gotten into. Or rather, the mess that _Fuji_ had gotten him into. Without a doubt, this was all Fuji's fault. Even if Tezuka was a pure optimist, he still wouldn't be able to disregard the fact that Atobe had definitely saw everything, or at least, enough to figure out what was going on. Now, someone outside of the Seigaku team knows his secret relationship with Fuji, other than Saeki and Bane. Will Atobe tell anyone? Will he take advantage of this moment to humiliate the well respected Seigaku captain in front of the whole world? The man will utilize whatever weakness he finds in his opponents, and this was definitely something Atobe can take advantage of.

However, it looked like perhaps Tezuka may be the one with the leg up, for at the moment, the Hyotei captain looked like he was sick.

"Oi, don't you think Buchou looks rather pale right now?" Jirou remarked with a frown at his teammates.

The Hyotei group turned to look at the side of the stage where Kabaji was currently poking gently at the motionless Atobe, a clear look of concern and worry in the larger man's face.

Tezuka took off his glasses and dropped his forehead completely into both hands. This can't be good at all.

"You look like you have a headache. Want me to give you a massage?"

Tezuka glanced down to see Fuji beaming at him. Putting his glasses back on, he glared at the tensai. "Fuji, this is all your fault."

"Ne, that's mean," Fuji pouted. "Always blaming it on me. But, don't you find it funny how Atobe's taking all this?" The Seigaku pair glanced back up on stage where Oshitari was now standing in front of his captain, waving his hand before the silver-haired man's face.

"Yoo-hoo—Oi! Atobe, you there?" Oshitari continuously waved his hand before that non-responsive individual.

Tezuka turned to Fuji and glared even more. The tensai put up his hands and gave a slight nervous chuckle.

"All right, everyone! Get to your places! We're going to begin rehearsal!" Tomoka yelled into the megaphone. "C'mon, c'mon! We don't have all day! The festival is this week, and everything needs to be perfect before then!"

"Well, that's my call," Fuji smiled, walking away from Tezuka as he headed for the stage. Just as the tensai left, Inui suddenly appeared before the Seigaku captain.

"Tezuka."

"Aa, Inui," Tezuka nodded.

"I did a quick test in the lab during lunch, and based on the results," Inui lowered his voice, "there was definitely a foreign fingerprint on the rings."

Tezuka furrowed his brows. "Go on."

"It would appear that someone was fiddling with the rings too, for different parts of his fingerprints were left all over the rings, as though he was scrutinizing each one carefully. I managed to take all different parts and construct them into a single fingerprint that can be used to identify the perpetrator."

Even though Tezuka barely showed any emotions, he was rather excited about this new development. "Inui, that's good. Then we can identify who it was?"

The data collector gave a small smile as his glasses flashed. "So, there _is_ a perpetrator. I suspected something was up."

Tezuka blinked, and then realized that he gave away more information than necessary. He scolded himself for letting his guard down.

Sensing this, Inui immediately added, "Don't worry. I will not ask for anymore details. But I will tell you this: in order to properly identify the perpetrator, I will need fingerprint samples to match them up with. I don't exactly have access to a whole data of fingerprints, and I doubt people just freely give that away."

"Aa, I understand. I will try to provide you with fingerprint samples."

Inui nodded. "As expected. I will leave that to you then. Once I have samples to look at, there's a 97 percent chance I can match the fingerprints up. In the meantime, I'll be waiting for you." Inui turned around and walked away, but not before jotting quietly into his notebook. "Ii data."

As Tezuka watched his teammate walk away, he thought about what the data collector said. So now, all he needs to do is get the fingerprints from the people in this auditorium. But, how is he going to do that? There are so many students in one location. Is he really going to grab fingerprints from everyone? Or rather, is anyone really going to freely allow him to take their fingerprints without asking him suspiciously about his actions? The Seigaku Buchou sighed. He turned to his side and saw the Rokkaku vice-captain climb on stage to join the rest of the actors. It looks like he'll have to enlist Saeki's help after all, much against his wishes.

"Hey, it looks like Atobe's back to himself!" Mukahai exclaimed excitedly as he watched his captain march on to the middle of the stage, a look of strong determination and iron will in his eyes.

"All right, places everyone! This is the balcony scene." Tomoka announced.

A few mumbled before falling silent as they watched the two leads, Atobe and Fuji, stand in the middle facing each other.

"We all know this scene like the back of our hands. Ready?…And, action!"

Atobe glanced down at the tensai, who was beaming at him with closed eyes and that infamous quiet smile.

Silence.

Blinking, Tomoka picked up the megaphone. "I said action!"

Atobe stood still, staring at the hazelnut-haired boy who only grinned friendly back at him.

"A-Atobe senpai!" Tomoka yelled into the megaphone in surprise.

Hearing his name called, the Hyotei captain straightened himself up and opened his mouth, ready to recite his line.

More silence.

Tezuka dropped his head back into his hand with an inaudible groan as students around him began to mumble among themselves in curiosity.

"Hey, is Atobe all right?"

"Did he really forget his lines?"

"Impossible! He was just reciting his lines perfectly earlier this morning!"

"Hey, looks like the so-called great Atobe is actually getting cold feet," Niou snickered, nudging Marui, who popped the bubble gum in his mouth before breaking into chuckles.

The mumbling increased, and Tomoka looked to Tezuka for help, but found to her dismay the Seigaku captain avoiding eye contact with her, as though his mind was lost in something. Sighing, she held up the megaphone and said gently, "Atobe, do you want me to remind you what the first line of this scene is?"

The Hyotei captain blinked on stage before shaking his head.

Believing that it looked like the tennis captain was ready now, she shouted, "Okay, then let's continue. And, action!"

Atobe stared at Fuji. The tensai smiled back. The Hyotei captain mouthed a few inaudible words slowly, trying to get the voice out from his throat when suddenly, blue eyes flapped opened, those mysterious crystal azures that speak a million things without uttering a word piercing through his soul. Atobe struggled with himself, opening his mouth and closing and opening it again when, upon making eye contact with the tensai, the Hyotei captain looked like as though he suddenly remembered something, and immediately grew sickly pale before the shocking eyes of everyone around him.

"Hey, Atobe, are you feeling all right?" Oshitari asked, genuinely concerned now. "You don't look so good." The blue-haired male watched as his captain seemed to be lost somewhere, his eyes locking gaze with the tensai in a blank state, his mind acting as though it was temporarily disconnected with reality.

Tomoka made a horrified face, thrown into utter disbelief at the scene before her. The interschool festival is coming up, and this was happening _now_?

"How pitiful," Yukimaru remarked from the side of the stage next to Sanada. "It seems like Atobe's not himself today. I wonder what happened after lunch?" He raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

"Hmph, who knows?" Sanada scoffed, his arms crossed as he stood impatiently for the Hyotei captain to start.

"Hm, this is interesting. Monkey King is getting cold feet," Echizen smirked a few feet away from the Rikkaidai pair. He turned to his friend. "Oi, Momo senpai! Are you watching this?"

The tall second year mumbled some reply grumpily as he looked inside his wallet. "Sheesh, I'm going broke from this bet."

Echizen raised an eyebrow.

Meanwhile, back on stage, the Hyotei captain was still struggling for words as he tried his best to maintain his gaze with the tensai, who only waited patiently for him to begin.

Silence followed. And some more silence. And some more after that.

Finally, with a frustrated sigh, Tomoka called into the megaphone, "Um, let's regroup later. How about we take another short break?"

* * *

It would be an understatement to say that practice was a disaster that day. Half of the time, Atobe stared into space, completely zoned out during his lines, especially when in front of Fuji. Everyone was quite confounded by the famous Hyotei captain whom, regardless of their like or dislike for him, they all thought was never one to be found in this peculiar state. Even Saeki, who enjoyed watching this unfold at first, began to wonder just what could have possibly render the third year so seemingly…just plain out of it. But the Rokkaku vice-captain was a very smart individual with perfect eyesight and high hindsight, and he found it suspicious that Atobe seemed to only act this way when acting with Fuji in a scene. Curious, he wondered what could have happened to the Hyotei captain that involved Fuji? Unless…

It involved Tezuka too.

Oh dear.

"Okay, everyone, that's it for today," Tomoka yelled exasperatedly into the megaphone, now completely stressed and ready to pull out her hair. "Everyone take a break while I go meet up with the stage crew and costume designers to see where they're at."

As everyone dispersed so eagerly from the rather stuffy rehearsal they had today, Saeki strolled on over to where Tezuka was off the stage. "Hey, Tezuka."

The austere, bespectacled Seigaku Buchou turned his eyes towards the Rokkaku regular.

"Did something…happen with you and Atobe during lunch?"

"No," Tezuka merely responded in that monotonous, strict tone of his.

Saeki raised a brow. Tezuka may look completely emotionless to everyone else, but the Rokkaku regular was able to detect a slight change in that wooden expression.

"Did Atobe happen to…_see _anything during lunch?"

The bespectacled man flinched.

Bingo.

"Hey, Saeki," Fuji smiled, joining the two. "Can you believe that the interschool festival is coming up so quickly?"

Distracted, the Rokkaku boy turned to face his good friend. "Hm, Shuusuke. Although I'll be sad when we have to leave Seigaku. It's been fun doing this with everyone."

"I agree," Fuji nodded.

"By the way," Saeki continued. "Um, well, I was curious. Did Atobe happen to…see something that he wasn't supposed to, earlier during lunch?"

Fuji opened his eyes, blinking in surprise before smiling. "Well," he turned to see Tezuka shoot daggers at him. "Perhaps it's best I don't say anything for now," he chuckled at his friend.

Saeki gave a nervous laugh. "Got it. Well, I'm going to go find a fountain. Rather thirsty being on stage with all these lights." He turned and prepared to walk away when his eyes caught sight of Sanada in the distance, staring intently in his direction. The Rokkaku vice-captain felt chills run down his spine, and then, blinking, he watched as the Rikkaidai male looked away and proceeded to walk towards the other side of the room. "How odd," Saeki commented, a shadow falling over his gaze as he looked behind him where Fuji and Tezuka were now entering a conversation.

"Attention, everyone!" Tomoka called out on the top of her lungs on stage, her megaphone not in her hands. "I present to you the famous bed from one of the most famous scenes…where Romeo and Juliet will be consummating their relationship," she whispered the latter part quietly with a wink. "Tada!" She put out her hands towards the bed behind her in a showroom manner as everyone directed their attention to the prop. The large pink bed had sleek overhangs above and soft, satin-like material covering the mattress and pillows. It was a very pretty bed, perfectly well put together, very fit for its time period, but some of the male students pretended to gag at the color.

"Hey, looks like Atobe's going to be doing it with a guy on stage," Niou nudged Marui, the two breaking out into fits of laughter, but then stopping in surprise as they watched Atobe continuously stare off into the distance at a corner, acting as though he did not hear anything at all.

"Oi, what is this?" Tezuka stepped forward before the stage as he stared with wide eyes at the bed. "We wrote that scene out. It is not appropriate to have in the school play."

Tomoka giggled. "Tezuka Buchou, I was kidding. Of course we're not having that scene. It's all going to be _implied._ And besides, really, it's more of the morning after scene."

"I thought we wrote that part out too."

"Tezuka-kun," Ryuzaki Sensei suddenly stepped in, placing her hand on the Seigaku captain reassuringly. "Don't be a stickler. We already had this approved by the faculty. And besides, this is my star moment when I am waiting outside their door keeping watch to make sure they don't get caught." She sighed. "Ah, young lovers. It's so romantic. You know, I was young once too. And a really hot one," she winked.

The students behind her cringed.

"Anyways, a few of the costume designers and stage crew worked together on this, and I say they did a great job," Tomoka announced, specifically pointing out the frames that towered over the bed and the soft drapes hanging gracefully downward to soften the sides of the poles holding them up. "But the person who deserved the most credit is our very own Sakuno-chan, who led the team in designing this beautiful bed. It's a pivotal moment in the play, so they set everything up perfectly. Let's give her a round of applause."

Everyone looked at each other before clapping at the now blushing Sakuno, who shyly smiled on stage. The bed was definitely put together nicely, with materials and designs reflecting the era of its time. Light flowery designs shimmered against the pink material that looked so lavish and fit for aristocrats.

If only it didn't look so pink.

* * *

Later that early evening, everyone had gone home, and the auditorium was encased in darkness save for the stage that was still illuminated by the stage lights that remained on. Tezuka walked across the wooden floor, his footsteps echoing against the walls of the empty room as he made one final round of checkup on everything. The play was nearing completion, and a good majority of the props and costumes were almost finished. Stretching his arms, he yawned in realization at how tired he was. He had planned on heading home right after rehearsal, but his coach wanted a meeting with him, and thus, by the time they had finished, it was already past dinner time.

Tezuka glanced down at the large pink bed before him with its fluffy, soft sheets. Given his tired state, he had to admit that the covers and mattress looked rather inviting right now.

"Are you considering getting a bed like that for your room?"

Tezuka glanced over his shoulder to find Fuji walking up to him. "Fuji, I thought you had gone home already."

"Ne, I always wait for you," Fuji smiled.

The bespectacled student council president stared at that friendly gaze the tensai gave him. He looked away. "I received some information from Inui."

"Oh?" Fuji opened his eyes, surprised.

Tezuka then went into a terse explanation of his conversation with Inui earlier that day, but of course, changing parts of the story. For instance, the rings had been changed to…a pencil holder.

"The stalker had fiddled with your pencil holder on your desk?" Fuji asked, blinking in surprise. "How odd."

"Aa," Tezuka said. "But if I can get the fingerprints of some of the individuals in this play, then Inui can start working on finding a match."

"Hm…" Fuji placed his chin in his hand, thinking. "We'll have to narrow down the list of suspects. I don't think we have the time or luxury to get everyone's fingerprints. In fact, I don't know how we're going to get a single fingerprint at all. It's not like someone will willingly place their fingers in black ink and stamp a piece of paper for us to see."

"Aa."

"Well, I'm sure Saeki can help us come up with a plan! He's very smart."

Tezuka flinched at the idea, but admitted that having Saeki help in this case would be more beneficial than anything. "Aa."

"In the meantime, how about we start on another part of our plan?"

Tezuka blinked, watching those blue eyes suddenly become dangerously tempting, as though they were up to no good. "What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, we agreed that we would try to find a way to lure the stalker out."

Tezuka paused at this. "Aa."

"And I didn't get to finish what I was doing today at lunch," he smiled coyly.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, not responding.

"So…" Fuji motioned with his hand across the stage. Tezuka's eyes followed to where the bed was. "How about we-"

"No."

"Ah, c'mon!" Fuji protested, watching as Tezuka began to walk away, not bothering to turn around. Determined, the tensai ran up to him and tugged on his arm, surprising the taller male. "Tezuka, this is our chance, and it's a perfectly good opportunity."

"No." Tezuka attempted to walk away, but found himself pulled back even more by Fuji's surprising strength.

"Tezuka! Don't you see? If we do it here, the stalker will surely see, and he will be so upset by it that he'll slip up and maybe even accidentally reveal himself before us."

"Fuji, do you know what you're saying?" Tezuka cried out, now facing the tensai full on. "You're asking us to have an inappropriate public display in the school auditorium!"

"Isn't that the point?"

"Fuji!"

"But Tezuka, look!"

Tezuka blinked and followed Fuji's finger, which was pointing at the empty sea of seats hidden in the dark before them.

"I bet you more than anything that the stalker is here right now, watching us."

Tezuka squinted his eyes, the stage lights half blinding him against the darkness in the empty auditorium. He suddenly felt Fuji's hand clasp over his own, and he glanced to his side to see the tensai give him a pleading look with those large, enchanting blue eyes.

"Kunimitsu, we have no choice. This may be our best option right now."

Tezuka blinked as he watched those eyes begin to whimper. Oh gosh, he is not actually considering this, is he? Before he could think more on this, he found himself quickly led to the bed, where Fuji gently pushed him down so that he is now sitting on the edge. He found himself at eye level with the tensai, who stood in front of him.

"Fuji-"

"Shh…" Fuji placed a finger on Tezuka's lips, whispering, "All the students and faculty already left this area, and the janitor already cleaned the auditorium and won't be stopping by. No one else will be walking in on us." He leaned in closer, saying huskily, "So just relax, Kunimitsu. I'm going to make this wonderful for you."

Tezuka's eyes shook as he watched Fuji get down on the floor on his knees before Tezuka, placing both hands on the bespectacled man's knees and spreading them apart. Tezuka tensed and, before he could say anything, he watched in shock as the tensai unbuckled, unbuttoned, and unzipped his pants to pull out his member.

Tezuka gave a short gasp as he nearly doubled over at Fuji's mouth swallowing him whole, the warm cavern surrounding the walls of his shaft. The Seigaku Buchou stifled his whines, whimpering and grunting as he leaned over Fuji's head and back, grasping desperately onto the tensai's shirt. Oh gosh, what was happening? He gasped for air as Fuji began twirling his tongue over the head, teasing the sensitive tip before licking him hungrily and humiliatingly. It felt so good, and Tezuka struggled to maintain his senses as every part of his logic is shot and he whined some more at Fuji bobbing his head up and down, up and down.

"Ne, look how hard you got," Fuji grinned, feeling the rock hard shaft within his hand. "You really needed me today, didn't you? You didn't even resist as much like usual. It only took a few seconds to turn you on."

"That's not…it…" Tezuka breathed, letting out a short cry as he lifted his head up and gripped his fingers over Fuji's back even more, resting his body with his chest against Fuji's locks of hair. He resisted the urge to cry out some more as he opened his mouth and felt his throat go dry at Fuji slathering his tongue all over his manhood. Why is Fuji always so good at this? Why is it that the tensai always finds the right buttons to push to topple him over the edge?

The slick sounds of Fuji's mouth eating him up filled his ears, and he shut his eyes tightly, heaving as Fuji sucked, and sucked, and sucked.

Finally, Tezuka shook violently as he orgasmed and released his load into Fuji's mouth, and the tensai, as usual, swallowed his essence in delight. Breathing hard, Tezuka found himself completely lying on Fuji's back for support, tired and swallowing nervously in sweat as he hesitantly and shakily peered at the sea of empty seats hidden in the dark. Was the stalker really there? Was he really watching them right now? Somehow, despite the blinding stage lights, despite the clearly dark invisible rows of seats below the stage, Tezuka knew that yes, the stalker was watching them right now.

And he was probably not happy with this at all.

Leaning up, Tezuka allowed Fuji to stand back up. He watched as Fuji wiped the corner of his mouth with a grin. "Ne, you really had it built up there. It looks like you have some more in you." Fuji's lips curved into a seductive smile. "How about we continue?"

Tezuka held up his hands. "Fuji, we can't get this bed dirty. Don't you see how wrong it is? I mean, what would everyone think if they found…stains on this bed? In fact, this very bed was designed by Ryuzaki Sensei's own granddaughter!"

Fuji chuckled at Tezuka's ever constant lectures on decency. "Ne, we'll do our best to not get it dirty."

"Hm?" Tezuka blinked. He found himself pushed onto the bed and turned onto his stomach before being dragged higher up against the mattress towards the middle. As he was about to glance over his shoulder, Fuji sat on top of his back, pinning him down and leaning in to whisper into his ear, "Tezuka, I'm going to show you a really good time."

Gulping, Tezuka trembled nervously as Fuji slid down his body and began tugging down his pants and boxers. But what shocked him even more was when he felt a wet tongue suddenly probe his entrance. "Hii!" Tezuka yelped, arching his back and glancing behind him in horror as Fuji's face was up against his buttocks. "Fuji, stop! That's dirty, don't-" His breath was cut short as Fuji dove his tongue straight in, lathering the pink entrance lovingly and wetting it fully.

"Tezuka, I have to prepare you properly. You're so tense right now that I'm afraid when I put it in, it'll hurt."

Tezuka's face turned bright red at Fuji speaking so freely and openly right now, with the tensai's words echoing across the auditorium, much to the bespectacled man's dismay. But before he could comment on it anymore, he tensed and dug his fingers into the bed, clawing at the sheets as Fuji sucked and licked, twirling his tongue into the cavern. Tezuka struggled with all his might, trying hard not to come as his eyes looked like they were going to burst out. He can not come. He can NOT come. He's facing the bed right now, and if he was to climax at this moment, he would be releasing some very inappropriate fluids onto the sheets. Oh, what will Ryuzaki Sensei's granddaughter think when she finds stains belonging to a male on her beautiful sheets? The poor freshman will be traumatized!

"Fuji, stop…I'm begging you…" Tezuka gasped as the pleasurable sensations tickled him and teased him senselessly. "I'm about to come, Gaah!" Tezuka's eyes enlarged at the feel of Fuji's hand wrapped tightly around the base of his shaft.

"Don't worry, I won't let you come in this position." Fuji proceeded to finger him with the other hand as the bespectacled man squirmed at the buildup. Tezuka looked like he would go crazy at any moment. Feeling fully satisfied with the way the pink inviting entrance looked, Fuji pulled back and allowed Tezuka to calm down slightly, only slightly, as the captain caught his breath. And then, without warning, he penetrated the bespectacled man deeply, causing the other to gasp.

Tezuka shuddered, nearly knocked out as Fuji began swaying his hips and thrusting fully, hitting his sweet spot. The poor student council president moaned beside himself, noting how fast Fuji was going today. The tensai must've been at his limit, having had to wait obediently after their interrupted…activity during lunch. But soon, Tezuka was lost in the world of pleasure and pain as his shaft was gripped tightly and he whimpered against the bed sheets, stifling his cries pathetically as the sensations in his throbbing groin became painful yet erotically pleasing at the same time.

Fuji made sure to go in deep, encasing himself fully within the other as he devoured the man and kissed the back of his neck. He nibbled the skin teasingly. Would Tezuka be mad if he left a hickey? It would be in plain sight. Hm, perhaps he's already pushing it.

Suddenly, Tezuka found himself turned onto his back, and Fuji, with his hand still on the base of Tezuka's shaft, continued hitting his prostrate at full penetration, grinding himself against that lovely bottom and leaning forward to admire the erotic sight of Tezuka moaning and groaning. The tensai smiled at the glazed look in those brown orbs that rolled back and drowned in this generous bliss. Fuji wanted to do more to send the other man over the edge, but finding himself already at his limit, the tensai released his hold around Tezuka's manhood and began thrusting furiously, cupping Tezuka's legs up in the air and moaning loudly as he shivered and reached the peak.

Both men cried out as they climaxed hard, the sensation overpowering them and reducing them to a pool of warm puddle as one arched his back and the other gave a final thrust before releasing his load. Their eyes were blinded for a brief moment, and not because of the stage lights. Two bodies joined as one as one felt the other's warmth travel throughout in a special connection that only two individuals in love can understand and experience. And then, the pair fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath against their sweaty selves, with Fuji now finding himself lying against Tezuka's fluids on his stomach.

"Ne, see, we didn't get the bed dirty," Fuji said in a raspy breath, swallowing from the echoes of the orgasm.

Tezuka panted as well, feeling a slight tingling in his fingers and toes as he welcomed the air that was cooling down their hot bodies. "We…need…to change…before we leave. We can't walk out like this."

"Hm, I agree," Fuji smiled, resting his head beneath Tezuka's chin. "Good thing we have our tennis clothes. Also, I need to pull out carefully later. I don't want you to be leaking over the bed."

"Fuji!"

The tensai chuckled.

For a moment, the two did not speak, instead allowing their bodies to cool down as both continued to catch their breaths. Tezuka was basking in a warm afterglow with rosy cheeks, a description not usually used on the austere, strict, stoic man. Fuji's face was rather colored as well with a pinkish tint. The tensai wondered what he himself looked like at the moment.

"Shuusuke," Tezuka began. "The stalker didn't come out."

"I know. I didn't expect him to. This was just an excuse to do you."

"Fuj-!"

"Just kidding." Fuji snuggled even more against the bespectacled man, sighing in this comfortable position. He enjoyed remaining inside Tezuka after their love making sessions. It was his way of staying fully connected with the other in a manner that is only permissible for him. Only he had this special connection with Tezuka. No one else can take that away. "Ne, this is the bed where Romeo and Juliet make love to each other after they secretly marry."

Tezuka paused for a moment. "Aa."

"It's sweet, is it not?" Fuji grinned, hugging Tezuka even more as he stared into the sea of empty seats in the darkness. "Two people who love each other so much and secretly marry, even though everyone else is against it—it's very touching that despite their friends' and families' disapproval, they still managed to be together, one way or another."

Tezuka blinked, and he felt those gold tresses slide softly against his skin.

"Even if society disapproves of their relationship, even if obstacles constantly obstruct their paths, none of that can really take away the love two people have for each other. Despite all the difficulties they encountered, they found a way to marry the one they love. That…is a blessing too." Fuji said with half-opened lids, his fingers gently curling up against Tezuka's shoulder.

Tezuka looked up at the sheer hanging drapes above them, feeling Fuji's warmth against his body as the air seemed comfortably quiet. He thought about the rings in Inui's care right now.

Yes, he agreed. It is a blessing.

* * *

Morning came, and Tezuka packed up his belongings in his room before heading out the front door of his house. It was now Tuesday, and all the students were counting down to the day of the interschool festival. It also meant that the next few days will be a mad house as everyone rushed with last minute preparations and dealt with last minute issues. When Tezuka reached the campus of Seigaku, he found students running around frantically, trying to get things done before even the hour of the day began. But just as the bespectacled student council president was about to reach the auditorium, the tall man heard some whisperings around him.

"Ne, I think it is true. Tezuka Kaichou is transferring, and I heard he's transferring right after the festival?"

"What? No! It can't be!"

Tezuka sighed. Why is it that rumors spread like wildfire, and so inaccurately too?

Suddenly, he stopped, finding the play's actors and crew crowding outside the door of the auditorium. Confused, he walked faster to find out what was going on when Oishi approached him. "Tezuka, it looks like the janitor forgot to unlock the doors for us this morning. Ryuzaki Sensei went to get the keys."

"Aa, I see," Tezuka responded.

"I have the keys now, so hold your horses," Ryuzaki Sensei appeared before them as she walked on through while the group of students parted to unblock her path. The older coach reached the doors and took out a ring of keys before picking one and unlocking the entrance. Hearing a clip, she pulled open the doors and said, "Oh right, let's get right on this. We're already behind schedule."

"You heard Ryuzaki Sensei. C'mon, we have to get moving!" Tomoka rushed everyone.

Kikumaru turned to Momoshiro with a chuckle. "Tomo-chan has gotten even more assertive since she became the director of this play." As he was saying this, he caught sight of Oishi looking at him from a few feet away. Immediately, he glanced away, feeling his cheeks blush a slight tint of red.

"Man, I can't wait for this play to be over with," Niou said, stretching as he followed everyone inside.

"I actually will be quite saddened when this is over," Yagyuu said to his doubles partner.

"That's because you're the gentleman, and this is just so suitable for you," Niou teased.

"Why, I rather enjoy acting. I suspect you do too, given your talents."

"Hm, I guess I'll accept that compliment."

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji approached the tall bespectacled man as the two walked together through the doors. "Did you sleep well?"

"Aa."

"You look really rested."

Tezuka peered suspiciously at Fuji, who was smiling innocently at him. "Fuji," he stressed warningly.

Fuji chuckled. "I'm just pointing out that you look like you're glowing."

There was a choking sound, and the two turned to see Atobe behind them looking as though he had just gotten a chicken bone stuck in his throat.

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" A piercing scream ripped through the air, and everyone froze in their spots, stunned for a second before turning to the source of the scream.

Immediately, Tezuka, along with Ryuzaki Sensei and a few other students, ran towards the stage at top speed where Sakuno was clearly in distress. Heart beating fast, Tezuka rushed down the aisle past the rows of seats and leaped onto the stage, heading straight for his coach's granddaughter when he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, the soles of his shoes screeching against the wooden surface. His eyes widened, his heart pounded, and his blood ran cold.

"What, what, what happened?" Momoshiro cried out, his mouth gaping wide open in shock as everyone stared in disbelief and Sakuno fell into fits of tears.

Pink tattered pieces lied brutally scattered across the wooden floor of the stage. Expensive sheer drapes that once hung above so gracefully now littered the ground in ripped quarters, the threads pulled outward in a merciless manner.

The beautiful bed that the young freshman had designed, had spent so many hours and so many nights working on to create the perfect prop for the perfect scene, was now torn into shreds.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Sakuno's tears filled the room, the auditorium's specially constructed walls magnifying the pain and hurt she felt as she sat on her knees with her face buried in her hands.

"Sakuno-chan," Echizen immediately leaned down next to her, holding out a hand towards her back and hesitating for a moment, before placing it gently on her shoulder. He looked at the torn drapes ahead of him. "Hm, this is bad…"

"Who-Who would do such a cruel thing?" Tomoka exclaimed, rushing past her friend and standing before the ruined prop before her. "Why? Why?"

"What is this? Wha..." the tennis girl team's captain froze, completely aghast, before quickly running over to comfort her teammate. "Sakuno-chan, sweetie, don't cry."

Saeki gritted his teeth, his eyes in disbelief at the ruined prop. What on earth...

It was too unreal to be true. Too cruel. For something like this to happen during the week of the interschool festival - no one could ever imagine such a thing to occur.

Tezuka stared in horror at the once beautiful bed that was perfectly safe just less than twenty-four hours before. His mouth went dry and his throat felt caught as he struggled to swallow. A sweat drop formed at the side of his temple before slowly trickling down his tensed, strained skin. Images of him and Fuji making love on that bed, doing very inappropriate things, touching so intimately, flashed across his very eyes. And his heart pounded uncomfortably as he watched himself and Fuji from a third person view... from another person's perspective.

Watching...watching..

He could hear the echoes of that person's anguish, of that person's rage as a heart beat loudly again and again in the darkness. He could see that person tearing apart the bed sheet, every inch of those delicate satin drapes being pulled apart and tossed aside, the hours and hours of hard work and sweat all destroyed. He could hear the cries, horrible cruel cries as each material is ripped again and again into shreds until...

There was a sudden loud sound of a scuffle that jolted everyone awake from their momentary trance.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

Everyone turned at the strained voice and found in shock the scene playing out before them.

"Was it you?"

Jirou froze in his spot, shaky orbs enlarged, skin sweating nervously, and mouth parted speechlessly as he stared into fierce, angry blue eyes that pierced through his very soul, leaving him unable to breathe.

"I said, was it you?" Fuji repeated, his hands tightening their grip on the Hyotei boy's collar as he leaned in towards that face completely taken back in fear.

The students standing around dropped their mouths in shock at seeing the normally calm, quiet, friendly tensai drop his mask to reveal the dangerous part of him that only his opponents have encountered in a match of tennis. Unfortunately, this is not happening in the middle of a tennis game.

"Fuji!" Tezuka rushed forward, as did Atobe, and both captains pried their respective teammates apart from each other.

"Oi, Tezuka! Can't you control your own team? They can't go around attacking my own like that!" Atobe scolded, pushing Jirou to the side.

"Perhaps you should keep a better eye on your own as well," Fuji stated rather bitterly, taking a step forward but finding a strong hand firmly holding him back by his shoulder. "He seemed to have been quite on the loose lately."

Atobe furrowed his brows, ready to blow his lid at being talked to in such a manner by what he considers a lowly figure well below his status.

"Enough you two," Ryuzaki stepped in, firmly intervening between them. "Oishi-kun."

"Hai."

"Come with me to the Dean's office. We need to report this. This act has crossed over the line by far."

Oishi stepped forward, ready to follow his coach, who glanced over at her granddaughter still crying on the floor. Immediately, the older woman's face contorted into suppressed anguish. "If I wasn't part of the faculty, I would certainly beat whoever was responsible for this, once I catch the culprit." She turned to her side, hands on her hips. "Tezuka-kun. I leave everything to you here."

"Aa," the Seigaku Buchou nodded.

"Everyone listen here! Tezuka-kun is in charge, so make sure you all behave while we try to figure out the next steps on this matter."

The students standing around nodded, already seeing the gravity of the issue.

"Hey, is there something wrong?"

Tezuka's eyes flashed and darted to where the Fudomine captain was rushing onto the stage, arriving along with his teammate, Kamio.

"Why's everyone gathered here-"

"What happened?" Kamio exclaimed, cutting off Tachibana and dropping his bag onto the floor with a thump when his eyes landed on the mess a few feet away from him. "Hey, isn't that the bed from yesterday?"

"This, this," Tachibana struggled for words. "This is horrible! What happened?"

"Oni-chan! Who would do this?" Ann appeared on stage alongside her brother, finally having caught up as she glanced across and saw Sakuno crying. "Oh no, this is so wrong! Poor Sakuno-chan! She spent so much time on this!"

Tezuka remained still, deep brown orbs watching like a hawk as ears listened closely to the words being exchanged between the Tachibana siblings. He observed the Fudomine captain's behavior, noting the seemingly worried and shocked look on the man's face. The Seigaku Buchou narrowed his eyes, growing extremely suspicious. Suddenly, Tachibana accidentally made eye contact with the bespectacled man, holding his gaze with a rather surprised and questioning look, before looking away back at his sister.

"My my, this is certainly unpleasant."

All eyes now turned to the Rikkaidai captain who had just arrived on stage unnoticed, the blue-haired man standing over the scene of the crime with his loyal vice-captain accompanying him as well.

"Yukimura Buchou, Sanada, we were wondering where you two were," Niou remarked. "Usually you're here a lot earlier than us."

"We got held up this morning," Yukimura replied, squatting down to get a closer look at the ruined prop. "Interesting. Whoever did this was in a fit of rage. Look," he pointed at the shreds ripped haphazardly. "The culprit was very strong to do this with his bare hands too."

"Not all of this was done with his bare hands," Saeki stepped forward, earning the Rikkaidai captain's attention, along with everyone else's. He squatted down as well and pointed at another area of the mess. "Notice how these pieces look too clean cut and smooth, as though they were…" his eyes flashed, "cut with a sharp object."

Something changed in the air, and everyone fell silent. Uncomfortably silent.

Saeki looked up. Sharp, perceptive dark green eyes glanced at the Rikkaidai captain's calm demeanor, then darted to the vice-captain's silent and strict immovable face, then to Fudomine's leader gaping with his mouth open, then to a Hyotei regular now adjusting his collar nervously and shifting his feet around uncomfortably.

_The pocketknife has returned._

"So it was a combination of using the knife and his bare hands," Oshitari summarized, pushing up his glasses.

"Do we know for sure he used a knife?" Kawamura, Seigaku's power player, remarked.

"I would certainly say so. There are ripped openings in the bed mattress," Yagyuu added, standing over the bed and looking more closely with his glasses. "I highly doubt the person used his own hands to create these openings in the mattress."

Tezuka listened to all of this carefully, his eyes shifting around the auditorium at the individuals standing around him.

_It's one of them._ Deep brown eyes narrowed as heart beated rapidly. _That person is standing right here in this very room, watching all of this._

"All right everyone, enough. We can play detective later," Ryuzaki interrupted. "First off, don't touch anything on stage until I get back. For now, everyone get off the stage and rehearse your lines on your own in the seats. We will be back soon. Oishi, let's go."

Once the Seigaku coach and vice-captain left the auditorium, the Hyotei Buchou folded his arms, remarking haughtily, "Hmph. I expected better of Seigaku's school. Something like this would never happen at Hyotei Academy."

Fuji immediately shot Atobe a deathly glare with his piercing, fierce, blue eyes. "This wouldn't have happened if your team member didn't come here to taint the school."

"Fuji!" Tezuka immediately stepped before Fuji, blocking Atobe simultaneously to prevent another retort. "Fuji, I need you to calm down. We're going to investigate this matter, and Ryuzaki Sensei is already reporting it to the Dean."

"Yea, so don't go accusing our own like that!" Mukahi yelled out, only to regret it a second later when he saw the Seigaku Buchou turn around and give him a silent, frightening, disapproving glare that immediately left the maroon-haired boy speechless and ashamed.

"Ne, let's wait until we have more information before we say anything more. We don't know who did it," Kikumaru stepped forward with a frown, hoping to ease his best friend's cool as he placed his hand on the hazelnut-haired boy's shoulder reassuringly. It was rare to see Fuji fall into angry outbursts like this, which only served to show just how emotionally rattled the tensai was.

"Kikumaru is right. It is best that we wait until we have more information," Oshitari chimed in, also hoping to defuse the obvious tension in the room, which would hurt both teams at this very moment. "I think we have more pressing matters to attend to," he motioned with his hand at the young freshman who was now sniffling, her crying having wavered and fallen quieter than before.

Soon, there was the sound of footsteps, and the young Sakuno glanced up to find the tall Seigaku Buchou towering over her.

Echizen, blinking, stood up and stepped aside, slightly relieved to be allowed a break from comforting someone, an act he felt he was failing at, considering he was not familiar with how to comfort someone to begin with. The girls' tennis team captain also got up and stepped to the side.

Sakuno wiped away a tear from her eye, embarrassed by the way she looked right now. But much to her surprise, a large hand was held out to her. "T-Tezuka Senpai."

"My apologies," Tezuka began, his face, although still serious, displaying an unusual softness to it. "Something like this should have never happened, especially under my watch."

Sakuno blinked, surprised. "But, it's not your resp-"

"I am in charge of this interschool festival," Tezuka stated firmly. "And it is still my responsibility to ensure that everything runs smoothly and safely for everyone participating in this important event." He frowned. "It would appear that I have let my guard down, and I apologize to you for it."

Sakuno's mouth fell slightly ajar as the young freshman was left rather speechless and stunned. She slowly placed her hand in that large hand extended before her, and found herself gently pulled up back onto her feet.

"I assure you, that as the president of the student council," Tezuka continued, his eyes flickering with that strong, unwavering gaze of iron determination, "I will definitely find the culprit and apprehend him so that he is properly punished to the fullest extent."

Everyone stood silently watching as the Seigaku Buchou impressed upon them the sense of respect and loyalty for his friends, peers, and teammates that are so characteristic of him. Sakuno, however, blushed until her cheeks were pink, feeling that strong hand held over her own as she looked at the stern upperclassman before her. And then, swallowing back her tears, she took all her courage and returned a determined smile, nodding. "Hm, thank you, Tezuka Senpai."

Tezuka nodded back and released her hand.

"That's right, Sakuno-chan! Don't worry! We will definitely find the culprit!" Momoshiro exclaimed excitedly, trying to cheer her up.

"Momo is right," Kikumaru wrapped his arm around the young freshman, nearly making her jump. "You can leave it to Eiji to help find out who did this."

"Rokkaku is here to help too," Saeki leaned his arm on Sakuno's shoulder as he gave his most charming smile, causing the young girl to blush. "We'll make sure that we take care of the bastard."

"You all can't do it alone."

Everyone turned in surprise to find Atobe walking up to the freshman, stopping a foot in front of her. He pointed at himself. "None of you will be able to solve this without Ore-sama's help. I cannot forgive the person who would ruin this play, especially with the hard work everyone put in, like me. But of course, you put in a lot of hard work too." Atobe flicked his hair behind him. "You can be sure that the great Atobe Keigo will bring the culprit before you and make him kneel down and apologize properly to you. Isn't that right, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

Sakuno's eyes shook as she glanced at Atobe and everyone else around her. There were some more supportive smiles and nods from the regulars of the other schools. Completely touched by everyone's words, she suppressed the urge to cry again, wanting to remain strong, and said, "Thank you, everyone."

Tezuka nodded. And then, eyes gazing over at the edge of the stage, the Seigaku Buchou found Fuji standing by himself, completely silent.

* * *

The tensai sat on a bench in one of the long dull corridors beneath the stage, chin rested in his hand as he stared somberly at the white wall across from him, clearly in a damper mood.

Tezuka watched the hazelnut-haired boy in his melancholy state, noting how the lively energy that the smiling regular usually exuberated was now gone for the time being. Fuji's face displayed no smile except for a depressive look, and for a valid reason too, for Tezuka knew exactly how Fuji felt at the moment. The Seigaku Buchou felt just as guilty as the tensai the moment they saw the shreds on stage early that morning.

"Fuji," Tezuka carefully began, approaching the quiet boy and stopping just two feet away from him.

"This is all my fault," Fuji mumbled.

"It is both of ours."

"It is mine," the tensai let out a heavy sigh. "If it wasn't for my stupid idea, Sakuno's prop wouldn't have been ruined." He dropped his head, arms draped over his legs now in a lifeless manner as he remembered those beautiful satin material ripped apart in a cruel manner and the young freshman's tear-stained face. "I'm sorry for my behavior earlier. I lost control of myself."

Tezuka raised his head, blinking in surprise at this apology.

Fuji felt his forehead, still avoiding Tezuka's eyes. "It's just that, I was thinking, maybe it wasn't the stalker last night. Maybe it was someone else. Maybe it was Jirou. I mean, I still catch him looking at you. I don't know!" He sighed again in frustration. "I don't know what to think anymore." He grabbed his hair and tugged on the strands as he hunched over, agitated. "Everything doesn't make sense now, and it's really bothering me. It's bothered me enough that that person went to your room and humiliated you. Does he really want to get rid of you that much?" Fuji frowned, his hands now tightening into fists until they were knuckle white. "Why do things keep getting in the way?"

Tezuka opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. It was rare to see Fuji display such a degree of frustration, and to suddenly hear him voice out his concerns and even slight insecurities seemed rather…refreshing. The Seigaku Buchou was quite surprised that Fuji was actually extremely bothered by everything that has been going on lately, but perhaps that was because the tensai had been hiding it well in front of everyone and didn't even realize that he was doing it subconsciously. Perhaps, this was effecting Fuji as much as it was effecting him.

"Tezuka."

The bespectacled man snapped out of his train of thought.

"Let's catch him," he stated. "Let's catch this bastard and punish him for everything he has done." He turned to Tezuka, piercing blue eyes now emitting that lively light that was missing just a moment before. "We're going to find out who it is before the day of the interschool festival! We'll definitely catch him!"

Tezuka raised his head, blinking at those vibrant azures and determined smile. And then, he let out a small smile. "Aa."

_Clunk!_

Tezuka and Fuji raised their heads at the sudden noise followed by what sounded like footsteps. Looking at each other for a brief moment, they immediately bolted through the hallway in a flurry of excitement. Feet ran at full speed towards the end of the hall where the source of the noise came from. Blood pumping and muscles filling with adrenaline and determination, the two flew by like lightening, skidded slightly at an angle, and rounded the corner…

_CRASH!_

Tezuka found himself falling forward at the impact, finding his face heading towards the floor as he landed on top of someone while Fuji flew forward upon getting knocked in the side, body in midair before feeling the burning, unpleasant impact of the solid cold floor against his body. There were the sounds of miserable groans and pain. Tezuka got onto his hands, trying to reorient himself in his dizzying state when he found himself staring into dark green eyes reflecting back at him in shock. "S-Saeki?" he blinked, and upon realizing that he was on top of the Rokkaku regular, he immediately pushed himself away while the silvery-white haired man also scrambled back in return, face red.

"Ow…" Fuji moaned as he slowly got up onto his knees and turned to sit down, finding the tallest Rokkaku player face flat on the ground at his feet. "Oh! Bane, are you okay?"

"You guys heard something too, didn't you?" Saeki quickly said, glancing around frantically at the empty hall. "We ran towards it as soon as we heard."

"It was a strange noise, right?" Fuji got onto his feet and dusted his knees off as everyone else followed suit. "And then it sounded like someone was running away."

"Definitely strange," Bane added, groaning some more as he massaged his pained cheeks. "Someone else was down here."

"But it would appear that whoever it was knows these halls very well," Tezuka folded his arms, his face back to the serious, stern captain that he is. "All four of us were running on opposite ends, yet, none of us ran into that person." He looked at the doors around the halls. "No doubt there is another exit in this area that allowed him to escape."

"The trap door!" Saeki suddenly exclaimed excitedly, remembering. "There's a trap door that leads to the stage from underneath this auditorium."

"Aa, there is," Tezuka looked to the room two doors down. "It's in that room actually."

All four of them quickly went to the door, with Fuji turning the door knob and entering the dark room that was unlike the other rooms down in the corridors. The walls were black, matching the stage above, and wires and other setups hung around the sides of the ceiling. The dim light didn't do much to illuminate the area, but that was necessary, considering performers obviously didn't want a bright light to blast through the above surface, giving away the secret of the trap door to the audience.

The group headed towards the middle of the room where the door above was shut.

"Why would he be down here?" Bane remarked.

"To remove the evidence," Saeki answered. "It's obvious that he left something behind."

"He must've left before the janitor locked the doors to the auditorium," Tezuka added, "since the doors reamined locked this morning."

"But once he realized he left something behind, he couldn't get back in because the doors were already locked," Fuji chimed in.

"So, what did he leave behind?" Bane asked.

"Something that would give him away too easily and surely," Saeki stated, dark green eyes flashing as he looked down at the piles of supplies, costume accessories, and props set against the wall. "That."

Everyone followed the Rokkaku vice-captain's gaze to something shiny stuck amongst the pile of theater supplies, its smooth surface gleaming against the dim light of the room.

* * *

**I will do my best to update in a week! I know this one took a VERY long time, so I will do my best to get the next chapter out sooner! Thanks everyone for your patience!**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

The object clearly didn't belong there. In fact, it looked completely out of place. And it looked as though it was dropped there by accident.

Saeki walked over and gently tugged on the pocketknife until it came out. He examined it before everyone in the room. "Looks familiar, doesn't it?"

"Like the ones Tachibana and Yukimura have," Bane noted.

Both Tezuka and Fuji leaned in to get a closer look.

"Ah, so that's why you were asking what pocketknife brands are good at the café that day," Fuji chuckled. "I was wondering why the sudden interest."

Saeki laughed. "You're figuring that out now?"

"Do you remember which person owned this brand?" Tezuka immediately interrupted, coughing his annoyance at the playful banter between the tensai and his childhood friend.

"Unfortunately, even with my excellent memory, I somehow overlooked that," Saeki frowned. "But no worries. We'll just find out who lost his pocketknife. Although, I think I already have a certain person in mind." He tapped the end of the object against his chin. "I recall that day at the café, Tachibana mentioning that he had left his pocketknife at Seigaku, and that he was afraid his sister would be mad at him."

"Sounds like he has a habit of losing things," Fuji smiled.

"Perhaps. I wouldn't be surprised that he lost it again."

"So let's get this over with and confront him about it," Bane crossed his arms.

"No, that wouldn't be good," Tezuka stated. "It's a lead, but it's not proof."

"Tezuka's right," Fuji added. "Whoever owns it can say they simply just lost it or misplaced it. There's no direct proof that this was used to ruin Sakuno-chan's work." At the mention of the young freshman, the tensai found himself clenching his fist, despite the smile on his face.

"Our best course of action is to use it to our advantage. Let's not be careless and give the culprit a reason to dodge us."

"Good point," Saeki nodded. "So for now, I guess we should first find out who this belongs to, and then investigate more for proof on whether our suspect has been the stalker all along?"

"That is correct," Tezuka crossed his arms.

"Sighs, perhaps this will finally end," Bane scratched the back of his head with a slight chuckle.

"I'm sure everyone is more than wishing for this to be over, especially these two," Saeki directly looked at the Seigaku pair.

Suddenly, the bespectacled Buchou seemed to remember something and stepped forward. "Saeki, I would like to hold onto that pocketknife for now."

* * *

Meanwhile, up on the first floor of the auditorium, the data collector scribbled furiously into his notebook at the back of the stage as Kaidoh explained his symptoms carefully, pausing each time to think more clearly before continuing on.

"I get these weird feelings in the morning," the bandana-clad boy stated.

"Hm," Inui nodded, jotting it down.

"It's like, something is in my stomach, or there's something caught. I can't quite pinpoint what it is."

"Hm."

"And this always happens after I drink the juice you gave me the night before. I followed your plan carefully, but these symptoms are so…odd. And then I feel rather, hot."

Inui glanced up, adjusting his glasses. "Please describe them in greater detail."

"Well," Kaidoh looked up, thinking how to describe them when he suddenly twitched. "Oi, Inui! Did you put something weird in that drink? You said it was supposed to increase my muscle mass!" He leaned into Inui with a threatening fist out in midair. "Inui!"

The data collector quickly held up his hands in defense, his eyes still well hidden behind his glasses. "Calm down, Kaidoh. I didn't intentionally put anything else in the concoction that I made. However, that doesn't mean there wouldn't be any…side effects."

Kaidoh snapped, raising his voice and crying out, "What do you mean side effects? Was this like the last time when I had to go to the nurse's office-"

"Inui."

Kaidoh stopped, recognizing the voice as Inui also paused and turned to his left. The serious bespectacled captain walked up to the pair, his face, although always wooden, still showed that he had something urgent on his mind.

"Inui, I need to talk to you in private," Tezuka said.

Inui nodded and motioned for Kaidoh to give them some privacy. The doubles partner stuck his hands into his pocket, grumbling something unpleasant before reluctantly leaving the area.

"What would you like to discuss, Tezuka?" Inui adjusted his glasses with a smile.

First glancing around to make sure no one would see, Tezuka took out the pocketknife hidden in his school pants and held it out before Inui. "Can you check if the fingerprints match the ones on the rings you found?"

Inui took out a plastic bag from his pocket and allowed Tezuka, who wondered why the data collector had one on him to begin with, to drop the evidence in. "I will check at lunch today."

"My fingerprints are already on there," Tezuka added. "As well as Saeki's." In hindsight, the bespectacled captain thought how they shouldn't have touched the pocketknife with their bare hands.

"Not an issue," Inui said, clearly reading the other man's thoughts as he carefully stored the evidence away. "I have the Rokkaku vice-captain's fingerprints on file as well from…..our last incident with him."

Tezuka furrowed his brows. Just whose fingerprints does the data collector have anyway?

"If there is a match with the ones on the rings, I will notify you immediately."

"Aa. Thank you."

Inui nodded and left the vicinity while Tezuka crossed his arms and stayed there to think behind the stage. It would appear that they are very close to finally apprehending the culprit. Good, because he was already tired of this all and would want it to be over so that he can fully concentrate on his interschool festival duties. Sighing, he glanced across to where, at the side of the stage, Sakuno was measuring a new set of cloth material as she immediately set out to begin rebuilding her perfect prop. Within a moment, Tezuka saw the tensai suddenly appear beside her, and leaned in with an ear to hear the conversation.

"Sakuno-chan," Fuji greeted with a friendly smile.

"F-Fuji-senpai," the young girl blushed.

The tensai squatted down until he was at eye level with the first year. "Sakuno-chan, would you like some help with this?"

"Uh, Fuji-senpai. I'm actually okay. I can…do this," she frowned, holding the material in her hand as she fell into a melancholy state.

Fuji took the measuring tape from her hand, surprising the girl. "How about I measure this, and you write down the measurements? We can work faster to rebuild everything," he smiled.

Sakuno blushed before smiling back and nodding firmly. "Hm. Thank you, Fuji-senpai."

Tezuka let out a small smile as he watched the two work together with the measurements on the stage floor. And then, he heard some rapid scribbling behind him. He glanced back over his shoulder.

"Ii data," Inui grinned.

Tezuka shot him a warning glare.

* * *

Down below off the stage, Saeki and Bane strolled along the aisles of seats, planning on their next move before the Seigaku coach and vice-captain returned from reporting that morning's incident to the school.

"The brand of the pocketknife is Kitsune," Saeki noted. "We just have to find out first who it belongs to."

"I guess making a grand announcement of who lost their pocketknife wouldn't work," Bane joked. "The culprit may be afraid to step forward to claim it."

Suddenly, the two stopped in their steps, glancing over to the side where, halfway across the room, they saw the Rikkaidai captain sitting in a chair by himself, his arms and legs crossed, and his face as patiently pleasing and steady as always.

Yukimura marveled at the scene before him as he watched actors rehearse their lines and the stage crew begin to put the finishing touches on the props. The play's really coming along. That's when the corner of his eyes caught sight of someone walking past him just a few feet away.

"Sanada."

The Rikkaidai vice-captain stopped with a halt, immediately turning to face his captain. "Yukimura."

"After rehearsal today, please accompany me to the sports store."

Sanada blinked, surprised. "But, today, I…um…" he looked away, a rather unusually anxious look on his face. "I have to do something afterwards-"

"That is an order, not a request," Yukimura stated firmly, his voice steady and calm and face still unperturbed, but at the same time his eyes carried a weight that did not tolerate disobedience.

Sanada shook, seeing those piercing deep blue eyes locking his gaze. With all of his strength, he managed to look away, quietly saying, "I'll…accompany you."

"Thank you," Yukimura merely responded, returning his attention to the front of the stage as his pleasurable smile returned.

Meanwhile, Saeki and Bane looked at each other.

"Well, that was weird," Bane remarked.

"Hm…" Saeki thought about it as he placed his chin in his hand, furrowing his brows. And then, he got an idea. "Hey Bane, let's follow those two after rehearsal today."

* * *

At lunch, the Rokkaku pair met up with Tezuka and Fuji to discuss their plan and what they had overheard.

"Something odd is going on between those two," Fuji pondered underneath the shade of the tree they were gathered around while eating their lunches.

"I think the whole auditorium is suspicious," Bane remarked. "There's something off in the air all morning."

"Well, of course, given what had happened," Saeki yawned, throwing his hands behind his head as he leaned back against the tree. He closed his eyes for a moment before opening one again to stare at a particular person across from him. "Tezuka, do you really think Inui will find something?"

"Aa, I don't doubt his skills at all," the Seigaku captain stated monotonously, picking up a piece of mini octopus with his chopsticks. "He will most likely report back to me before the end of today."

"I see."

"Did you get a chance to talk to Tachibana, Shuusuke?" Saeki asked, taking pleasure in seeing out of the corner of his eye Tezuka flinch at hearing another person call Fuji's first name.

"No, he was rather hard to track down today," Fuji frowned. "Whenever I tried to approach him, he seemed to be off in a hurry to talk to one of his teammates."

"How suspicious," Saeki remarked.

"In the meantime, we should keep an eye on those two at Rikkaidai," Fuji chuckled. And then, he saw across the grassy lawn near the building a certain captain taking a stroll along the sidewalk.

Atobe stopped for a moment and looked at the group. All four underneath the tree turned their attention to him. Fuji, always a friendly one, beamed at him and waved. But the Hyotei captain immediately stiffened and became flustered, scowling unpleasantly. He turned his head in a flux and hurried away, leaving the group on the grassy lawn rather surprised.

"Oh, that was odd," Fuji remarked good-heartedly.

Tezuka sighed and shook his head. He didn't even want to think what was going through the Hyotei captain's head at the moment.

* * *

Rehearsal, which seemed surprisingly long for some reason that day, finally ended, and everyone was rather anxious to go home. Meanwhile, Seigaku's number one and two met up with the Rokkaku pair, agreeing on a plan to split up: Tezuka and Fuji will follow Tachibana, while Saeki and Bane will follow Rikkaidai's deadly duo.

"Let's meet up again at the end of the day in the evening to discuss what we find, if anything," Saeki suggested.

"Aa," Tezuka nodded along with Fuji. And thus, waving goodbye to one another, the pairs split up at the front of the auditorium and prepared to follow their suspects for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Saeki, they haven't done anything different in the last hour," Bane whispered impatiently as the two crouched behind a bush uncomfortably in the park, watching through the leaves where right in front of them sat Yukimura and Sanada on a bench, their backs turned against them. The Rikkaidai pair was only a few feet away, so their watchers struggled to remain still and unnoticed in such close proximity to the two. After following them all the way to the community park, a feat not as difficult as they thought, Rokkaku's regulars found themselves extremely bored by the lack of conversation occurring between the blue-haired captain and his most loyal teammate. Except for a few exchanges of words, Yukimura and Sanada spent the majority of their time just admiring the park and the sky. Well, at least the former was.

"Yukimura," Sanada began, carefully glancing at his captain. "When will we be going to the sports store?"

"When I am satisfied with my break," he merely replied with a smile, not looking at the other man. "Sanada, isn't the weather very nice today, especially this late in the afternoon?"

"Aa, it is," Sanada said, looking down at his knees.

Yukimura's eyes slowly turned towards the vice-captain. "Sanada, why are you in a rush to leave? Does being in my company really bother you?"

"N-no, of course not, Yukimura!" Sanada quickly reassured him, his face rather flustered and nervous at the hint of disappointment in his captain's voice. "I always enjoy your company!"

"Then stop looking at your watch."

Sanada seemed rather embarrassed and looked away.

The Rikkaidai captain looked up at the sky again. "You…used to pay more attention to me."

Sanada blinked and looked up in surprise.

"I guess we should go to the sports store now before it gets too late." Yukimura stood up on his feet, turning to his companion to follow suit. "You ready?"

"Aa."

Once the two left, their watchers got up from the bushes as well.

"About time they moved," Bane complained, stretching.

"Let's go," Saeki hurried him. "We can't lose them."

* * *

Tezuka leaned against the brick wall around the corner of a small alley on one of the main streets where stores lined the sidewalk. His fellow detective partner, on the other hand, was peering around the edge, keeping eyes locked on Fudomine's captain, who was accompanying his sister on a shopping trip inside a store right next door.

"Fuji, you're being really obvious," Tezuka stated dryly.

"Ne, Tezuka, Tachibana really is weird," Fuji remarked, ignoring the pedestrians passing by and giving them strange looks. He clasped his fingers tightly around the brick edges and squinted his eyes through the store window at an odd angle. "His sister is talking to him, but he seems like he's not listening."

"Should we be surprised?"

"He's looking through his pockets now." Fuji continued to observe their target closely. "This is probably the fifth time he looked through his pockets."

"Aa."

"He stops looking whenever Ann turns around. He's kinda' agitated."

"Perhaps he is nervous that he lost his pocketknife."

"He sure fits the part." Fuji stepped out into the open, surprising Tezuka.

"Oi, Fuji!"

"Ne, don't worry. They just left the store. Come on!" Fuji ran on ahead, leaving Tezuka flabbergasted for a moment before the taller man followed suit as well.

For the next half hour, Tezuka felt like a total fool. He and Fuji were scurrying behind walls, alleyways, and even light posts, rightfully earning unpleasant and disapproving stares from those around them. The bespectacled captain could not remember the last time he felt so ridiculous and embarrassed at the same time. Both he and Fuji acted like five-year-olds playing hide-and-seek. But at least they were progressing in the case, because the more they watched Tachibana, the more they noticed his unease and lack of attention towards his sister's conversation.

"He's completely avoiding her," Fuji noted. "See how he won't even look her in the eyes?"

Tezuka nodded as he and Fuji crotched behind a mailbox, a rather difficult and perhaps vain feat considering Tezuka's large size. They peered at the siblings across the street, the pair now entering a small café to buy some desserts. Suddenly, Tezuka's heart thumped loudly, and he swirled around, looking behind him.

"Ne, is there something wrong?" Fuji asked at the sudden movement.

Tezuka blinked, staring at his own reflection in the store window as shoppers passed by in droves. "No." He turned back around to redirect his attention to their targets across the street. Strange, he felt like someone was watching them.

_Thump._

This time, Tezuka stood straight up, turning around completely and glancing left to right.

"Tezuka?" Fuji blinked, quite confounded by his Buchou's sudden strange behavior.

"I feel like someone's watching us," Tezuka stated.

"Hm?" Fuji raised his head, eyes enlarging in amusement. "Someone's stalking us while we're stalking Tachibana?"

Tezuka turned to his side, staring down the long sidewalk for any strange movements. He did the same on his left.

"Tezuka! They're leaving! Hurry!" Fuji pulled on the taller man's arm, making him follow as the Tachibana siblings were already on their way down a block. Both Fuji and Tezuka jogged slightly behind them from across the street, constantly keeping an eye on them. But the Seigaku Buchou appeared bothered, because for some reason, he thought he heard a third pair of running steps right behind them. Tezuka came to a sudden stop, surprising Fuji, as he whirled around.

"Tezuka! What are you doing?" Fuji cried out, panting. "They're leaving."

"Fuji, I think someone really is following us."

"Then let them follow us. We need to keep an eye on Tachibana right now! Look how far ahead they are now!" He took Tezuka's hand and forcefully pulled him along to catch up with the other pair.

As the two Seigaku regulars ran, Tezuka forgot about the extra footsteps he heard and realized that they were now holding hands. In public. And people around them were definitely noticing, but more so that they were running unusually fast in a rush. At first, Tezuka felt subconscious, for one of the things that he had Fuji agree to was that there would be no public display of affection. And even though the circumstances around this were different, the fact remains that they were currently running with hands held together in public. But at the same time, the bespectacled student council president found that he didn't quite…mind. As he ran, he watched the back of Fuji's hazelnut locks flow gracefully against the breeze, the tensai always carefree and never self-conscious. In a way, Tezuka felt for the first time that it was actually quite nice that they were holding hands at the moment, but perhaps the fact that they were running made it more bearable since he could at least escape the constant stares from everyone around them. Still, that's a good sign, for sooner or later, he and Fuji will have to face the real world…

"There they are!" Fuji stopped, releasing Tezuka's hand to pant on his knees. "I can't believe they got so far ahead of us." He looked up at his captain, who remained serious and motionless, barely breaking a sweat. Go figure that Tezuka's stamina is not that of a normal human being.

"Looks like they're inside a sports store now," Tezuka observed from across the street.

"Yea, but we need to get close to them enough to hear anything suspicious from Tachibana."

"We haven't been able to do that so far. It will be difficult following them inside a small store without being easily seen."

Fuji sighed. "I know." And then, an idea clicked in his head. "Tezuka, I think I know how we can do this."

* * *

Saeki stood in the middle of the sidewalk, mouth hanging wide open and arms dangling before him as he stared at the droves and droves of people walking around in the busy shopping district. "How…How did we lose them?" He grabbed his head, completely frustrated while his friend just sighed next to him, his arms crossed.

"Guess we should've known those two would be difficult to follow," Bane remarked nonchalantly. "Do you figure they knew they were being followed?"

"Gah!" Saeki ruffled his silvery-white locks, completely annoyed with the predicament they were in now. "I'm good at following people without being noticed! There's no way they could've known they were being followed!"

"This is Yukimura and Sanada we're dealing with here. They are the number one team. You think they would allow someone to follow them easily? They must get a lot of spies from rival schools following them to find out their secrets."

Saeki sighed, dejected. "It was all going so well," he mumbled tiredly. "I can't believe they slipped away before our very eyes."

"Cheer up, Saeki. There's a lot of people here. And besides, we know they're going to the sports store."

"Yes, but I don't know which one."

"Well, guess we'll have to check out each of them. There's only 7 here I think." Bane grabbed his friend's hand, surprising the Rokkaku vice-captain, as he led the way.

"B-Bane!" Saeki cried out as he was dragged along.

"You want to solve this case, right?" Bane said without looking at his friend as he marched forward.

Saeki blinked. "Of course!"

"Then let's not give up so soon," he turned to smile.

Saeki felt his cheeks blush. "I-I'm not giving up! Oi, Bane! Just keep walking!"

The taller man chuckled and turned back around, tightening his grip and continuing to drag his friend. What he didn't see was that his vice-captain's face was now beet red.

For the next half hour, the Rokkaku pair looked at all the sports stores they could find, but their targets weren't shopping in any of them. Deciding to take a break, the two stopped in front of a shop, leaning against the window pane as they stared in frustration at the crowds before them.

"Why are there so many people here on a weekday?" Saeki grumbled.

"I'm starting to think they're purposely avoiding us," Bane added. And then, something caught his attention. He turned around and peered through the window. "Hey, isn't that Momoshiro?"

Saeki blinked and turned around. He realized that they were actually standing in front of a chocolate store, and right inside was Seigaku's second year paying for something at the counter. He whistled in amusement. "Oh, I wonder who's he getting chocolates for." He and Bane looked at each other with a smile before walking inside the store themselves.

The Seigaku regular jumped in surprise upon seeing them appear. "Saeki! Bane!" Momoshiro cried out. "What are you two doing here?"

"We were just hanging around here," Saeki answered. His eyes immediately went to the bag in the second year's hand. "Who's the lucky girl?"

"Huh? Oh, this, um…hehe," the Seigaku regular began chuckling nervously. "It's nothing."

Saeki smirked. "Rumors are true about you and Ann Tachibana, eh?"

Momoshiro's face turned beet red. "It's not what you think! You're misunderstanding!"

"Sure, sure," Saeki waved him off, walking past him and patting him on the shoulder. "But I'm not surprised though. I hear the girls say you're a lady killer."

"Oh, really?" Momoshiro asked, excited. And then, he quickly straightened up. "Um, I have to, um, go now," he laughed nervously. And then, he quickly rushed out the door, embarrassed.

Once the Seigaku regular disappeared, both Saeki and Bane burst out laughing. "Did you see the look on his face?" Saeki asked, chocking on his laughter.

"I wonder how Ann's big brother feels about this. That is, if he knows," Bane tried to stop his own chuckles. "I hear he's pretty overprotective of Ann."

"And I don't think Momoshiro will survive in a game of tennis with him should he be challenged," Saeki added. Suddenly, something caught the Rokkaku vice-captain's eye, and he immediately went to a shelf and picked up a box.

"What, Saeki? Are you now interested in chocolates too?"

"Bane, look at this." He pointed at the box.

Bane stared. "They're truffles?"

"No, the name! Don't you recognize the brand?"

"I don't get it."

"Fuji told me a while back the brand of chocolates he kept receiving from the stalker." He pointed at the box harder, pressing his finger against the shiny surface. "This is the brand!"

"Excuse me, can you not ruin the box?" An older woman at the counter called out to him.

"Oh, sorry," Saeki quickly apologized, setting the box down.

"So you're saying the stalker came here?"

"Exactly!" His eyes gleamed in excitement. "And this is the only store. It's not a chain, so we know the stalker definitely came here." He ran up to the counter quickly, making Bane struggle to follow him. Reaching the front of the store, he immediately asked the older woman, "Miss, has there been a person coming here a lot to buy chocolates? As in, a couple times in the last two weeks?"

The woman thought about this. "Well, there are actually quite a few people buying chocolates more than once last week and the week before. Why do you ask?"

"Do you know if any of them were…students?"

"Students?" She blinked. "Oh, you mean in uniform like you two or the friend you were talking to who just bought chocolates?" She thought more about it. "Well, there were a couple, but I was surprised. I mean, the chocolates I sell are not cheap because they're the best! So, I don't think a student would have that kind of money to spend, nevertheless on chocolates a couple times a week."

Saeki was getting rather impatient with the lengthy answers that weren't providing the information he needed. "Can you describe what the students looked like? The ones that came multiple times?"

"Well, I'm sorry young man, but my memory isn't as good as they used to be. I get so many customers a day that even the repeat ones I don't remember very well."

Saeki frowned, rather disappointed.

"But, do you remember the uniforms they wore?" Bane asked.

"Sorry, but you all look the same to me."

Saeki sighed. "It's okay. Thank you."

"But I do remember one odd request one of them made."

Saeki's ears perked up, and he immediately placed his hands on the counter, surprising the older woman. "Please! Tell us!"

"Well…" she furrowed her brows, which were now showing hints of grey. "This one particular customer wanted…wasabi filled chocolates."

"W-wasabi?" Both Saeki and Bane exclaimed. _Wasabi's one of Fuji's favorites!_ – the Rokkaku vice-captain thought to himself.

"Yes, and it was actually just a few days ago. But, sighs, I can't remember who it was. Not at the moment. But, hm…unfortunately, he wasn't wearing his school uniform that day. And yes, it was a young man. Oh dear, they tend to look the same at that age, so I don't remember which one it was. But he requested a special order of wasabi-filled chocolate, and I was very surprised. I wonder what young lady would want her boyfriend to get her wasabi-filled chocolates. It seems so strange."

"Do you have the receipt?"

"Oh, now I think you're being too nosy. I cannot simply just show you the person's receipt. That's still private information, even if they paid in cash, and I cannot violate their privacy. Plus, I would have to dig through my files, and I don't have the time to do that right now."

Seeing that the older woman was getting rather annoyed, especially since there was now a line of customers behind Saeki, all ready to pay for their chocolates, the Rokkaku pair decided to thank the woman for her time and walk away. But just as the two regulars left the store, the woman at the counter suddenly glanced up, remembering. She turned away from the cash register, ready to call out to the two young men who were just in her store, but by then they were gone.

* * *

Tezuka was standing outside the sports store, hiding around the side with his cell phone held up against his ear. A look of annoyance covered his face as he silently listened to the voices coming over the receiver. Within a few seconds, the tensai showed up next to him and whispered to him.

"I put my phone on mute, so they won't be able to hear us," Tezuka said.

"Ah, that's good," Fuji smiled. The tensai had just finished sneaking into the store where he hovered behind the siblings, slipped his cell phone (which he had used to dial Tezuka ahead of time) into the back pouch of Ann's purse, and left quickly and stealthily. "It was rather easy," Fuji declared proudly. "Ne, put it on speaker phone. I want to hear."

Tezuka complied and held the phone out before them.

"Onii-san, why are you acting so odd today?" Ann's voice rang over the phone.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I've been tired with all the preparations for the interschool festival."

"Hm…but you're barely responding to anything I say. Do you have to be somewhere soon?"

There was a pause.

"Onii-san!"

"Huh?"

"Ne, what is wrong with you today? If you don't want to take me shopping, just say so at the beginning!"

"No, no! Ann-chan, I was just…I just have something on my mind."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Of course not! Everything's fine!" There was a nervous chuckle over the receiver.

Fuji and Tezuka looked at each other.

"What do you think?" Fuji asked.

"Sounds like something's very wrong," Tezuka noted.

"Why do you keep looking away?" Ann demanded.

"What are you talking about?"

"You can't be this bored. This is _your_ store! You wanted to get something here, right?"

"Oh, right, yes."

_Thump._

Tezuka's heart jumped a beat again, leaving something unpleasant at the pit of his stomach. He turned to his side.

"Tezuka?" Fuji blinked.

The serious man narrowed his eyes, his instincts picking up on the presence of someone watching them again. Squinting his eyes, he noticed some movement around a large trashcan a few feet away from them.

"Tez-"

"Shh," Tezuka brought his finger to his mouth, motioning for Fuji to be quiet. And then, slowly turning around, he walked carefully towards the trashcan, taking a step at a time with his breath held. Within a foot of the trashcan, he suddenly threw his hand over the bin, reached down and felt someone's collar, grabbed it and pulled the individual up…

The wavy-haired boy with stunned eyes quickly put on a nervous chuckle and smile, waving his hand embarrassingly. "Hi, Tezuka."

Tezuka stood there with his mouth half gaping, a rather confounded look on his already surprised face. "Jirou! What are you doing?"

Fuji hopped on over and appeared next to them. "Hm? Have you been following us?"

"F-Following? Why would I do such a thing?" The Hyotei regular scratched the back of his head innocently.

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, releasing the boy and staring him down with arms crossed. "I don't appreciate being followed."

Jirou immediately looked down, his face turning red. "Gomen, Tezuka. But, I…I just wanted to see you."

That last statement made Fuji snap, and the tensai grabbed Jirou forward by the collar. With a strained smile, he stressed in a frightening tone, "Ne, Jirou, have I not told you earlier? You should not bother our captain. He is quite busy, so why don't you go cater to your rich, attention-seeking captain instead? I'm sure he'll much better appreciate your-"

"Fuji!"

Fuji blinked and turned around when his mouth fell open in shock at Ann and Tachibana stepping outside of the store, ready to leave.

"Fuji! Your cell phone!"

The tensai froze, watching in what appeared to be in slow motion as Ann looked down at her purse, frowning at something.

"What is it, Ann-chan?" Tachibana asked with his back still turned towards the strange trio behind him.

"My purse feels a little…heavier than usual," the young girl frowned. She lifted up her hand, ready to reach into her purse.

"Fuji!" Tezuka turned to the tensai. "She's going to find your cell in there!"

Fuji was stuck, his eyes going from Ann, to Tezuka, to Jirou, and back to Ann. He watched as the young girl was about to slip her fingers into the back pouch of her white bag. And then, at the very last moment, a light bulb went off. Blue orbs flashing, he tightened his grip on Jirou's collar, took a couple steps forward past Tezuka, and leaned back.

The scene was rather bizarre to all the spectators shopping in the district that day, for in their eyes, they saw a young student being flung forward on the sidewalk before crashing right into a boy and girl standing right outside a local shop.

There was a mixture of cries lost amongst the noise of the shoppers, and Ann found herself falling down, her purse flying out onto the sidewalk before her. Jirou's face landed flat onto the cement floor, producing a loud smack, while Tachibana tried to steady himself until he tripped on his own foot and hit the side wall before tumbling to the ground as well.

Tezuka stood there in horror, staring at the three individuals now on the floor, all groaning. He didn't even see when Fuji bolted forward and swiftly swooped up his cell phone in one hand, which had flown out and slid against the sidewalk, without anyone noticing. With his other hand, the tensai picked up the purse and gracefully held it towards the young girl on the sidewalk.

"Are you all right, Ann-chan?" Fuji asked with a charming smile as he helped her onto her feet while his other hand slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"F-Fuji-senpai!" she cried out in surprise, taking her purse. "Thanks, but oh, what just happened?"

Jirou groaned as he rubbed his head and got onto his feet. "Ow, Fuji threw-" The young regular found his mouth muffled by Fuji's hand, the tensai now standing behind him.

"Jirou tripped and accidentally fell against you two," Fuji quickly explained.

"I see," Tachibana got up on his feet as he stood up. And then, blinking, he looked at Jirou, Fuji, and Tezuka. "Huh? Why are you all together?"

Realizing how odd their crew looked, Tezuka opened his mouth to say something before closing it, not sure how to respond.

"We ran into Jirou by accident too, actually," Fuji said. It was the truth after all.

"Oh, what a coincidence," Tachibana chuckled with a smile.

"Oh! Yukimura Buchou and Sanada-senpai!"

Everyone immediately turned their heads towards Ann, who was standing in front of two individuals taller than her. "Wow, today is weird. We were just saying how it was a coincidence running into Seigaku and Hyotei together."

"Hm?" Yukimura blinked and looked over to find Tezuka and Fuji...and Jirou, all standing a few feet away. He raised a brow, quite confounded and surprised. "Coincidence indeed."

"Are you two here to shop at the sports store?" Tachibana asked the Rikkaidai pair.

"Yes," Yukimura smiled pleasantly. "I wanted to pick up something. Well, we want to quickly finish up here before we head on home. It is getting late."

"Hm," Tachibana nodded as he watched the other captain and vice-captain proceed to enter the store.

At that moment, Tezuka glanced up, seeing both Yukimura and Sanada look at him with a pause for a second, unreadable emotions on their faces, before the two disappeared into the store. Thinking that was weird, he wanted to look through the glass window pane when he was interrupted by the sound of Fuji and Jirou bickering.

"You threw me into them!" Jirou blurted out.

"What are you talking about? You tripped," Fuji simply said.

"You-!"

Suddenly, there was the sound of a cell phone going off, and Fuji realized that it was his. He quickly answered it. "Moshi moshi."

"Shuusuke! We lost them!"

"Huh?" Fuji blinked.

"Yukimura and Sanada! We don't know where they are!"

"Oh, actually…" he turned his face towards the glass window. "I don't think you need to worry about it."

"What are you doing?"

Fuji jumped and turned in surprise to find himself face to face with Jirou, who was trying to listen in on the conversation. With a chuckle, he took the boy off guard and pretended to bump into him, nearly knocking him towards Tachibana. And then, in the midst of the confusion, he quickly grabbed Tezuka's hand and started running.

"Where are you two going?" Ann called out after them.

"Oi! Come back! Wait, Tezuka!" Jirou cried out, following them.

"Fuji! What are you doing!" Tezuka exclaimed, running with the tensai. "Jirou might say something-"

"Ne, don't worry, Tezuka," Fuji panted as the two ran with Jirou following behind them. "I knew he'd follow. It's to get him away from everyone over there. I think our plan isn't going well at the moment, and don't worry, I doubt Jirou heard everything." They rounded a corner and continued running until, finally, they ended up losing sight of Jirou as well. The two stopped at a park bench to rest, now completely out of the shopping district. Panting hard, including Tezuka this time, the pair sat down and sighed.

"Who knew we'd run into everyone at once," Fuji breathed. "I wonder how Saeki and Bane lost them. We could've been forewarned."

"Aa," Tezuka said, catching his breath.

"I'll text Saeki where to meet. I think we need to regroup."

* * *

The Seigaku pair walked along the sidewalk in a quiet neighborhood, extremely tired by the day's events. By now, evening was nearing, and the lights inside the houses they passed by were starting to turn on.

"Sai, today was long," Fuji said, not having the energy to smile at the moment.

"Aa."

"I wonder if Saeki has any information for us. We didn't get exactly what we needed other then knowing that Tachibana was acting suspicious all day long and that he was probably looking for his pocketknife."

"Aa."

"If it wasn't for that stupid Jirou!" Fuji crossed his arms, annoyed.

Tezuka glanced down at the tensai, who looked like he was pouting. Seeing how cute Fuji looked, Tezuka suppressed a cough to the side.

"Hm? Is there something?" Fuji asked.

"No."

The two continued walking against the half setting sun, noting how they were getting hungry as dinner time was approaching.

"Want to come over to eat with me tonight?" Fuji asked simply. "There's leftovers at my house."

Tezuka's eyes slowly looked at the tensai. He knew that was not an innocent question. Nevertheless, he answered, "Aa."

They were just three houses from the end of the street when a middle-aged woman called out to them. Both Tezuka and Fuji turned their heads, finding themselves in front of a house with a beautiful garden filled with all kinds of flowers.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," the polite woman smiled. A pot for watering plants was in her hand. "It's just that, I noticed that you must be from Seigaku as well."

"Yes, that is correct," Tezuka nodded.

"And good evening to you," Fuji smiled.

The woman beamed. "I recognized the uniforms you are wearing. Seigaku students are so polite."

"You must meet quite a few walking along this path," Tezuka said.

"Hm," she nodded. "Particularly this one. He comes here to help me trim the garden. Doesn't say much and is always quiet. But he helps me water everything, and in exchange, I let him have the roses here." She motioned to the bed of roses on her side. "I have too many roses growing in my garden, so I'm more than happy for him to take them. I wonder if he's giving them to a girl," she chuckled. "So young to have a girlfriend. He even goes through the trouble of de-thorning the roses himself."

Fuji chuckled as well. "How interesting."

"Hm, but anyway, you two go ahead now. I didn't mean to bother you."

"Not at all," Tezuka said in the same serious tone. "You have a good evening."

As the two walked away, the woman in the garden held her cheeks, blushing. "My my, what a handsome young man. He doesn't look like a middle schooler at all."

Down another street, both Fuji and Tezuka finally reached a corner where they would be meeting Saeki and Bane. The Rokkaku pair had not arrived yet, but just as they were about to contact them, Tezuka's cell phone went off. The bespectacled man took out his phone, stared at the caller ID in surprise, and quickly answered it. "Inui."

"Aa, Tezuka," Inui began. "I have the results from the fingerprints on the pocketknife."


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay, I am going to make every effort to finish this story by the end of August. There are only a few chapters left, so I'll work hard to get this out to you all! Thanks for your patience!**

* * *

Chapter 22

It was the middle of the night, and Tezuka sat on the edge of the bed, resting his chin on the knuckles of his hands while pondering the day's events. The crescent moon barely shone through the opened window of the small room he was residing in, with few rays illuminating the contour of the captain's face.

_There was a match between the fingerprints on the rings and the ones on the pocketknife. _

Deep, brown orbs closed for a moment before opening again to stare into the shadows of the corners of the room.

Always lurking. Always hiding. Always watching.

For the past week and a half, Tezuka had felt the presence of the stalker on their tails, never knowing when he would strike. But it would seem that the culprit's ministrations will finally cease and come to an end, now that they have the proof they need to confront him. And its precisely this excitement that is keeping the bespectacled man awake, even though he barely becomes excited about anything except for tennis.

And one other...activity he would not like to mention out loud even in his own mind.

There was a stir, and Tezuka glanced over his shoulder at where the tensai was sleeping soundly, comfortably, and contently. And then, Fuji opened his eyes, staring dreamily and drowsily up at the taller man sitting beside him. He smiled and reached out with his hand to grace the cheek of the one he loves all so dearly.

"Ne, why aren't you sleeping?"

Tezuka blinked and briefly looked away. "We can finally apprehend the culprit tomorrow." He thought about their conversation with Saeki and Bane when they met up earlier in the evening.

_We need to corner him and get him to 'fess up so that he doesn't have the time to get away or come up with anymore excuses - _Saeki had said. _Let's round up around him first thing in the morning, tomorrow, before rehearsal begins. _

Fuji yawned, stretching his body within the soft blankets before smiling coyly. He tugged on Tezua's arm and, in one swift motion, pulled him down beneath him. The tensai got on all fours above the man, grinning at the rather surprised look on the naked man's face. "Since you won't go to sleep, then we mind as well have another round or two tonight."

Tezuka blinked, his cheeks getting pink as he looked away, embarrassed.

Clearly loving this reaction, Fuji leaned down and whispered into his ear, "Allow me to do even more embarrassing things to you, Kunimitsu."

* * *

Wednesday morning arrived, and the Rokkaku pair left early for Seigaku as agreed. Once at the school, Bane yawned at the cold crisp air, trying to stay fully awake as his vice-captain merely leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, thinking.

"Couldn't we have made the decision to catch him after rehearsal?" Bane noted. "This is really early."

"The sooner we get this over with, the better," Saeki stated. "This has dragged on long enough, and we're all very tired of it."

"True," Bane sighed. "But still, why am I here this early in the morning?"

"You did agree to become a part of this from the beginning, so don't complain."

The taller man threw his arms behind his head and leaned against the wall of the auditorium as well. "You think he'll crack once we present the evidence to him?"

"Yea."

Bane peered at his friend curiously from the corner of his eye. "Why do I get the feeling that something else is on your mind at the moment?"

"What do you mean?"

Bane watched the silvery-white haired man carefully, noting his brooding manner and unusual behavior. "Something is bothering you."

Saeki blinked and looked up to briefly make eye contact with his friend. He opened his mouth, and then closed it, thinking some more, before finally saying, "I feel like there's something we're overlooking."

"Hm?" Bane raised his brows, surprised. "How so?"

"I...don't know." Saeki lowered his head and placed his chin in his hand, thinking. The pocketknife had the fingerprints that matched the ones on Tezuka's belongings. That was more than enough proof. And Tezuka already confirmed with them that there was no possible way for others to have accidentally touched those items, that his belongings stayed exactly in his room. Although, Saeki wondered why Tezuka seemed to speak rather fondly of his possessions. Just what's so special about a pencil holder? Still, Saeki felt like there was something they were missing, something that they already have information on, and yet he just couldn't pinpoint what exactly at the moment. He thought about his conversation with his childhood friend yesterday evening, trying to jot his memory. Fuji reported to him the Fudomine captain's strange behavior, the way he was fidgeting, something about a student possibly from Seigaku helping a neighbor, Jirou spying on them, and more information on Tachibana's reactions.

"Oh look, they're here now."

Saeki glanced up at Bane's voice, and he saw approaching them the Seigaku pair. Then, he stirred for a moment as he noticed that the always serious man looked rather...tired today. He raised an eyebrow suspiciously, noticing that the bespectacled captain slightly limped, just slightly, at an angle, something that others wouldn't notice except for the Rokkaku vice-captain, who had one of the sharpest eyesight in the tennis sports world. Saeki cocked his head to the right, observing in slight annoyance. It's rather obvious what these two were doing last night. And the more he thought about it, the more irked he became.

"Morning," Bane greeted the Seigaku duo.

The other two nodded in return. "We are ready?" Fuji asked.

"Yes," Saeki nodded.

"We have yet to talk to Ryuzaki Sensei about this," Tezuka began. "However, after we apprehend him, I will immediately go to her to report the incident so that the proper punishment can be dealt with."

"Sounds like a plan," Bane pushed himself off from the wall. "So, is he here yet? He usually comes rather early."

"No, but looks like someone else rather interesting is here early." Saeki motioned with his head, and everyone looked in his direction to see a certain prominent figure approaching them with that distinct arrogant air in his walk.

Atobe had his hands in his pockets, his companions and teammates walking alongside with him like an exclusive elite club.

"Morning, Atobe," Saeki said, smirking slightly until the Hyotei captain turned to look at him.

Simultaneously, both the Seigaku and Rokkaku duos froze, stunned at the scene before them. Atobe had dark circles underlining his extremely blood-shot eyes, and a strange but extremely unpleasant shadow befell his pale face, nearly making him lifeless and even frightening. His head hung down slightly lower than usual as his back hunched over as well, and he clearly showed that he was in no mood for a greeting of any sort.

Saeki, Bane, and Fuji all had their mouths open in shock, surprised that Atobe would let anyone see him in this state, considering that the man must spend hours on his physical appearance and hair every morning before leaving his mansion. But sure enough, standing right before them was a rather unpleasant version of the Hyotei captain, not that the arrogant man was ever pleasant to begin with.

It's just that he has never looked this bad in public.

The awkward silence seemed to linger amongst the three different teams, with Hyotei's regulars obviously pretending to not be aware of their captain's current state. And then, withou any notice, Atobe glanced to his side, his eyes landing on Tezuka, who only blinked blankly. The Hyotei captain glared at him, as though holding a bitter resentment against him, before returning his focus to the sidewalk and heading for the side of the building near the front doors of the auditorium.

Once the Hyotei team disappeared, Bane remarked, "That...was weird."

"Strange indeed," Saeki raised a brow while both Fuji and Tezuka were left surprised by the encounter.

* * *

Some more time went by, and by now, the majority of the students from the other schools have arrived, gathering outside for the doors to open.

But the main culprit was still nowhere in sight.

"Man, where IS he?" Saeki grumbled, crossing his arms impatiently. "Should've known that he would be late today, most likely on purpose."

"You figure he knows?" Bane asked.

"He may suspect that we're on to him," Fuji chimed in. "After all, we may have been a little too obvious yesterday following him."

About five more minutes passed by until, finally, Ryuzaki Sensei appeared to open the doors for everyone. As the students began filing into the auditorium, Fuji looked at Tezuka, noting how, despite the man's strict features and lack of emotional expressions, the bespectacled captain was showing signs of his impatience and frustration at the current situation.

"Don't worry, Tezuka. We'll end this today," Fuji reassured him.

Tezuka glanced down at him, his eyes softening temporarily at the tensai before becoming the resolute, stern brown orbs they are. "Aa."

That early morning before rehearsal, students began practicing with one another, eager to perfect the play as the festival draws even closer. The backstage crew got right to work, bustling about to put the final touches on the props and backgrounds, while the costume designers took their time, already nearly done with everything - that was, except for Sakuno, who was working furiously to finish the bed that was ruined just a day before.

Tezuka glanced at the clock. They had some time left before rehearsal officially begins, and still there was no sight of the culprit. The bespectacled man sighed. He was hoping for everything to end this morning so that he can resume his student council duties. He had a full day scheduled to go check on the status of the clubs with his staff given how quickly the festival was nearing, and if the stalker does not make his appearance now, then Tezuka may not be able to witness his apprehension, and he would have to leave the task to Fuji, Saeki, and Bane. But just as he was worrying about this, a certain sibling appeared, clearly looking around with a concerned look in her eyes. Tezuka immediately approached her beneath the stage.

"Oh! Tezuka Buchou!" Ann jumped, surprised by the sudden presence of the stern, stoic man.

"Aa, my apologies. I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oh no, not at all. I just didn't see you," she smiled.

"You seem rather worried. Is there something wrong?"

"Well, oni-san-I mean, my brother, I haven't been able to find him. He left early this morning before me, saying he had something he needed to do. But I have not seen him at all!"

Tezuka blinked. "Hm? You mean he had arrived here early?"

"Supposedly." Ann placed her chin in her hand, thinking. "He had been acting so strange lately. I wonder what's wrong? You know-" she stopped mid-sentence, realizing that she was now talking to empty air.

Meanwhile, Tezuka power-walked to the other side of the room where Fuji, Bane, and Saeki were conversing. He informed them of what he had learned.

"What? Really? So that means he's here right now," Saeki surmised. "And I bet he came here looking for the pocketknife. He must be on the basement floor."

"Well then, how about we go looking for him there and confront him in the act?" Bane smirked.

The Rokkaku pair looked at Fuji and Tezuka, who nodded in agreement. The four immediately headed for the stairs, walking down the steps to the basement level before arriving in the dull, bland corridors away from the bustling noise above. They turned a corner and began strolling through the hall, keeping their eyes peeled for anything out of place in every visible corner.

"I wonder if he's still in that room where we found the pocketknife," Saeki remarked. They reached said room and opened the door, only to find the area empty.

"Not surprised. He most likely searched here first and is now scrambling all over the basement level trying to find it," Bane added.

"Should we split up?" Fuji suggested, his face smiling that usual tensai smile.

"Might be a good idea," Saeki nodded. "How about you two head down the south hall, and we'll go west. We should be able to meet each other in a circle."

And thus, the pairs split, heading for their assigned search areas. Meanwhile, both Fuji and Tezuka walked in silence for a moment before the tensai finally spoke. "Ne, Tezuka."

"Aa."

"Do you think Saeki and Bane will finally get together?"

Tezuka stopped in his steps and looked at Fuji. "What do you mean?"

"Well," he smiled, looking off to the side. "It's obvious that Bane is in love with Saeki, but I never asked Saeki how he felt about his friend. I wonder, actually, if they were in the same boat as we were at the beginning. I mean, in a way, Saeki is kind of like you."

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, obviously not pleased with this comparison. "Fuji, we have a serious task in our hands right now. This is no time to be discussing other people's relationships."

Fuji pretended to pout at being scolded. "Ne, you're so mean. I was just suggesting the idea."

"Aa," Tezuka gently nudged Fuji forward as they continued to walk. "Let's go-"

The pair found themselves crashing into someone, temporarily disoriented before finding themselves in front of a very annoyed and irritated Hyotei captain.

"Atobe," Fuji blinked, "What are you doing down here?"

"Looking for that damn Jirou," Atobe grumbled. "Have you seen him?"

The Seigaku pair shook their heads.

Atobe sighed in agitation. "He picked a really unusual spot to fall asleep this time. Rehearsal is about to start, and he's going to be late and make me look bad!" The Hyotei man stomped off, grumbling along the way.

"Ne, it didn't seem like he got enough sleep last night," Fuji whispered to Tezuka. "He looks terrible."

Meanwhile, Atobe rounded a corner, about to pass by a door when he heard some noises. Suspicious, he backtracked his steps to arrive at a bland door that was distinctly different from the other ones in the hallway. This must be the janitorial closet. Some more strange noises seeped through the door, and Atobe narrowed his eyes, ready to scold his teammate for falling asleep here of all places. In one swift motion, he swung the door open, mouth open ready to enter a long, furious lecture when he froze on the spot.

The Seigkau vice-captain and red-headed acrobatic regular stared back at him, equally stunned by the encounter. But that wasn't what was shocking Atobe at the moment, for the Hyotei captain's eyes immediately zoned in on the way the two were holding each other, with one of Oishi's hands wrapped around the waist of his doubles partner, and another clearly on his chest in a very non-platonic way.

The awkward silence felt like ages for both parties until, finally, Atobe promptly closed the door, turned around, and walked away, wobbling in his steps weakly before placing his hands on a wall for support and wondering to himself with a pale face if the whole Seigaku team was gay.

* * *

Tachibana rummaged through the boxes in the storage room of the basement, hands frantically searching through piles and piles of junk as his heart pounded hard against his chest. Did he leave it here? Or did he leave it on stage and one of the crew members found it and decided to put it away somewhere? He thought about asking some of the backstage team, but that may cause some chattering that will most likely reach a certain someone he does not want to know. Frustrated, he gave up the search in the particular room he was in and opened the door, stepping out back into the hallway when he bumped into someone rather roughly.

"Oh! Sorry-" He blinked in surprise at a pair of dark, blue, deep yet strangely calm eyes staring back at him. "Yukimura-"

"Tachibana, what brings you down here?" The Rikkaidai captain raised an eyebrow curiously at the tall, dark-haired male.

"I was just…I thought I misplaced something," Tachibana answered seriously. He stared into those dark orbs that peered into him, seemingly calm and pleasant yet scrutinizing him at the same time. Although he was very firm and steady, his heart secretly pounded at the unease that he was feeling from the presence of the other captain, a feeling he does not ever remember feeling before. Perhaps there is a reason why Yukimura is called the God's Child, a reason besides his exemplary and god-like tennis skills. "How about you? What are you doing down here?"

Yukimura glanced around him and over Tachibana's shoulders, trying to peer into the room behind the Fudomine captain, before responding. "Just looking." He tilted his head to the side in a half playful manner, and smiled a smile that was vague, ambiguous, polite, and even slightly condescending. "Hm, well, rehearsal is going to start soon. We best be on our way."

"Hm," Tachibana nodded.

Yukimura turned and left first, disappearing around the corner. The Fudomine captain, on the other hand, lingered around a little more, debating if he should continue searching, before letting out a sigh and deciding to retire the task for now. He closed the door behind him and proceeded to walk towards the stairs when he found himself suddenly face-to-face with the Seigaku captain and the tensai.

"Tezuka, Fuji," Tachibana greeted, showing a hint of surprise. "You two are down here too?"

The pair looked at each other, slightly confused by the question, before the tensai asked, "You mean you ran into Saeki and Bane already?"

"Hm?" Tachibana blinked. "What do you mean? They're here too?"

"Tachibana, we have something we would like to ask you," Fuji continued, a strange smile on his face that masked the intent behind it. "We are curious if you…lost something."

The question was obviously sudden based on the tense reaction from the captain. "Oh, well," Tachibana looked away for a moment before returning the gaze. "That's…strange that you would ask, heh." He was surprised to find himself scratching the back of his head.

Tezuka took a step forward, his tall and forbearing presence making an impression on the Fudomine captain. "Tachibana, we are serious with our question."

Fuji secretly grinned at the irony in the statement, considering the Seigaku Buchou is _always _serious.

"We need you to be honest with us, especially since you are a captain as well. You and I both know that we must always uphold what is right."

Tachibana nodded. "I understand. But," he stopped midway, thinking. "I'm sorry, actually, I don't quite understand where this is going."

"Tachibana," Tezuka said more firmly, surprising the other captain. "Did you lose something?"

The Fudomine captain was quite taken back by the tone in Tezuka's voice. He stood there, considering his response while strict, demanding deep brown orbs narrowed at him like a hawk. Tachibana wondered if this was what it was like to play against one of the top players in the tennis school world, an opportunity he has not had.

Meanwhile, Tezuka observed the man carefully, noting his unusual unease. Something was definitely wrong. "Tachibana, we may have found something that belongs to you." At this, the other man's eyes enlarged, clearly disrupted. Tezuka took advantage of this moment and continued. "It would appear that you did lose something."

Fuji raised his head at the scene playing out before him, noting his good friend's nervous mannerisms, which he had never witnessed before in the strong captain of Fudomine. "Tachibana," Fuji stepped forward, seeing the surprise in the other man's face. "I think it be best for you to just come out with it."

Tachibana opened his mouth and then closed it. There were hints of hidden turmoil within him, but that soon disappeared as the also strict, stern mannerism of the Fudomine captain returned in an instant. "Gomen, but I believe you had misunderstood. I think it best for us to return to rehearsal now. It's about to start."

"Give it up, Tachibana. We know it was you."

The voice surprised everyone, and all directed their attention to Saeki, who was now leaning against the wall with his arms crossed behind Tachibana. The Rokkaku vice-captain's friend stood next to him, towering over everyone.

"S-Saeki?" Tachibana raised an eyebrow.

Saeki pushed himself off the wall. "We were watching you the whole time, especially when you went into this room here to search around." He pointed with his thumb at the door next to them. "We've already caught you red-handed. We just didn't bother to confront you yet so that you'd have a chance to 'fess up. But apparently you still refused to come out with the truth to Tezuka and Fuji."

Tachibana hid a gasp and turned fully around to face the Rokkaku man. "You were watching me?"

"Of course," Bane said. "Up to when you spoke with Yukimura. I think it's pretty obvious by now what you were up to."

Tezuka blinked. "Hm? Yukimura?" But before he could dwell further on the thought, the conversation taking place at the moment interrupted him.

Tachibana held up his hands. "Wait, please first explain to me what is going on."

Saeki smirked. "Pocketknife."

At the word, Tachibana's eyes grew large, and he took a step back in shock. "How-how did you-" He whirled around and saw the strict Seigaku Buchou staring down on him, hard, and the tensai grinning his usual vague, ambiguous grin in humor.

"So it was you," Tezuka narrowed his eyes, an extremely disapproving, stern aura emitting from the serious bespectacled man.

Fuji, on the other hand, frowned slightly. "Ne, I didn't think you would go this far, Tachibana."

Tachibana faced his good friend. "Wait, Fuji, Shuusuke, let me explain first-"

"You can save your explanation for when we meet with Ryuzaki Sensei," Tezuka bellowed.

"R-Ryuzaki Sensei?" Tachibana choked. "Why is she being involved-"

"Let's get this over with," Saeki interrupted him.

"Hold it, please, wait," Tachibana bowed in front of them. "Please, don't tell Ann-chan. I can't have her know. She will be furious with me!"

"Ann?" Saeki raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you shouldn't have done what you did to begin with," Bane crossed his arms.

"We can't guarantee that she won't know, nor do we feel you deserve that guarantee," Tezuka stated strictly.

"Tezuka, please," Tachibana began, speaking as a comrade would towards one of the same status. "Ann-chan cannot know. She-"

"Oni-san!"

The sudden feminine voice caught everyone's attention, and the tennis players glanced down in surprise to find the young sister of the Fudomine captain standing before them all of a sudden. "Oni-san, is it true?"

Tachibana dropped his mouth and backed away, staring in shock. "Ann-chan!"

"Was that why you were acting all weird yesterday?" Ann demanded, a furious look in her eyes.

"Gomen, but we need to take him to Ryuzaki Sensei first," Tezuka said.

"Ryuzaki Sensei? Huh?" Ann blinked. "Tezuka Buchou, I'm sorry, but I don't see why your coach needs to be involved when this is between my brother and I."

"This involves us too, Ann-chan," Fuji said in kinder words.

But Ann disregarded the tensai's response, facing instead her brother once more. She placed her hands on her hips. "Oni-san, did you really lose it?"

Tachibana scratched the back of his head, looking away. And then, ashamed, he lowered his eyes and said, "Gomen, Ann-chan."

"Oni-san! I spent a lot of my own money when I bought you that as a gift!" The young girl flared up. "I can't believe you lost it! How did you-"

"Wait," Tezuka stepped forward, surprising the young girl as well as everyone else. "I…want to have something clarified."

Saeki turned to him. "Hm? What do you mean all of a sudden?"

Tezuka took a deep breath. He thought something seemed strange, and it would appear now that his suspicions might be correct. "Tachibana, how about you explain to all of us what happened."

Tachibana looked back in surprise before beginning. "Well, it's true. I did lose the pocketknife that Ann-chan got me. I've been lending it to Echizen for his props, and then one day, I don't remember if he returned it to me or I had misplaced it. I'm usually not one to forget-"

"That's enough," Tezuka cut him off, and then noting that this move may have been rude, he said, "I apologize, but I was wondering if you are willing to do me a favor."

Tachibana blinked. "I'm sure it won't be a problem."

Saeki raised an eyebrow, seemingly confounded by what was going on. After all, they already found their culprit. Did Tezuka really buy Tachibana's whole story that he was scared to let his sister find out that he had lost the precious pocketknife she had bought for him?

"Do you mind allowing me to get your fingerprint?"

"Huh?" Now the Fudomine captain was extremely confused. "Um, I guess it's fine, although I don't see the reason-"

"Please," Tezuka said firmly, but politely too, and partially apologetically. "I won't be able to explain at the moment, but we will need your fingerprint."

"Oi, this is a weird request," Ann interrupted. "Why would you need his fingerprint-"

"Okay."

Ann glanced up at her brother in surprise. "Oni-san!"

"I can see that this is sincerely important by the look in your eyes," Tachibana said, nodding. "You can take my fingerprints."

* * *

"What are you doing, Tezuka?" Saeki asked the Seigaku captain in irritation. The group was now back on the main floor, discussing in the corner away from all the others before rehearsal was going to begin. They had just had Inui take Tachibana's fingerprints, and were going to wait for the data collector to report back to them, which won't happen until after lunch. "You don't necessarily believe Tachibana's story, do you?"

"Not necessarily, but my instincts tell me there may have been some misunderstanding," Tezuka explained.

"Ne, Tezuka, so you don't think Tachibana is the stalker?" Fuji asked.

"I don't know. Either way, we need solid proof, and that means having Inui match up the fingerprints."

Saeki threw his hands behind his head, sighing. "Fine. Understood." The corner of his eyes caught sight of Ann scolding her brother in the background. "Well, I do think that he is genuinely afraid of his sister."

Fuji chuckled good-heartedly. "Yes, he is."

"So what now? We just wait?" Bane said, placing his hands in his pockets.

"Aa," Tezuka began walking away.

"Ne, where are you going?" Fuji asked.

"I do have my student council duties to attend to," Tezuka said without turning around. "I will meet up with you all at lunch."

The Seigaku captain left, leaving the three to continue talking amongst themselves.

* * *

When lunch finally arrived, the Rokkaku and Seigaku group met up with the data collector outside on the lawn.

"Well, what did you find, Inui?" Tezuka asked.

Inui adjusted his glasses. "It was rather interesting."

Pause.

"And?" Saeki emphasized slowly, getting impatient.

Inui looked at him. "There were a set of fingerprints on the pocketknife that matched Tachibana's."

"So it is him-"

"Those fingerprints don't match the one on Tezuka's…pencil box."

"Wait, what?" Saeki blinked, the rest of the crew also leaning forward in shock.

Inui glanced down at his data book. "The fingerprints that are both on the pocketknife and the pencil box do not belong to Tachibana. However, it is true that Tachibana's fingerprints are on the pocketknife, but that's the pocketknife only."

The group was stunned by the summary, and all glanced at each other.

"So you mean, someone else used Tachibana's pocketknife?" Bane asked, wide-eyed.

"Not just someone, but _three_ others."

"Three?" The whole group said out loud in unison.

"Well, actually, two confirmed, and a third set I'm not too sure of. There are two sets of clear fingerprints that are unknown and on the pocketknife. One set is on both the pocketknife and pencil box. The other is just on the pocketknife alone, like Tachibana's."

"The latter must be Ann's fingerprints," Saeki said, placing his chin in his hand. "So I guess that shouldn't be quite a shock."

"The third set, if it is a third set, may not be a third set at all. I found what could be evidence of more fingerprints, and because the markings were very light and partial, I overlooked them unfortunately during my first examination." Inui adjusted his glasses.

"Partial finger markings? That seems so strange," Saeki noted. "So you can't even guess at the fingerprints from these so-called 'partial' ones?"

"With the current technology, no. I am only 75 percent sure that those markings are fingerprints."

"So what now?" Bane asked.

"We return the pocketknife to Tachibana," Tezuka crossed his arms sternly.

"What? Why?" Saeki asked, surprised by such a suggestion at this time especially.

"Inui, do you feel we need to hold on to the pocketknife anymore?"

"That is not necessary, for I already have all the data I need," Inui nodded. "I've documented everything clearly and in detail. I even took some photographs and scans."

"Scans?" Saeki raised an eyebrow. Sometimes he feels that this data collector has the ability to know a little _too _much.

"Then it's decided. We will return the pocketknife back to Tachibana. It is rude of us to continue holding it when it is his belonging."

"Tezuka's right," Fuji nodded. "We can't just keep holding on to someone else's things."

Saeki sighed. "All right, whatever you two say," he shrugged. "And then? What do we do after that?"

"I think we have no choice," Tezuka stated. "Today, let's gather the fingerprints from all our suspects. We must remember to not let our guard down."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Trying to obtain the key suspects' fingerprints was easier said than done, as was expected. The crew of investigators couldn't exactly go up to their fellow peers with a request to take their fingerprints without a valid explanation. And if anything, none of them wanted to give the whole story on what has been going on. Thus, the task seemed rather futile, and Tezuka, Saeki, and Bane all felt frustrated while Fuji simply found the whole thing slightly amusing.

"Perhaps we can tell them it's for Inui's secret science project that he's going to be presenting at the festival," the tensai suggested with a smile as he and the crew were now walking through the hallway to the lockers during break.

"I think that will definitely deter _anyone_ from wanting to give us their fingerprints," Saeki stated, noting Inui's notorious reputation for gathering information on everyone without permission.

"Then what are we going to do? It's already almost the end of the day, and we're still getting nowhere," Bane crossed his arms.

"We need to return the pocketknife to Tachibana soon," Tezuka reminded them. "We have yet to do so."

"Man, this is not going as planned. _How_ in the world did we have three extra sets of fingerprints, or rather, two and a half, um, well, including that one partial one…" Saeki threw his arms behind his head, clearly irritated. In a way, he wished it had been Tachibana so that this whole case can be done with, but unfortunately for them, things have only gotten more complicated.

The group finally reached their destination, and Fuji proceeded to open his locker.

"It's Wednesday and the interschool festival begins Friday." Saeki leaned his back against the wall of lockers.

"What happens if we don't figure it out by then?" Bane asked.

"Oh!"

Everyone turned their attention to Fuji, who was now peering through his locker. "I got both today!"

Tezuka immediately pushed the tensai aside, gently though, as he narrowed his eyes at the box of chocolates and a couple of roses bundled together and stuffed inside rather hastily.

"Wow, the stalker went all out. Didn't he alternate before?" Saeki tip-toed over Tezuka's shoulders while Bane towered over everyone else with curious eyes.

"Roses are de-thorned as usual," Bane noted.

"Those are the box of chocolates from the store-" Before Saeki could finish his sentence, the Seigaku Buchou immediately grabbed the items, ready to toss them into the trashcan when the Rokkaku vice-captain stopped him. "Wait! Tezuka, we may need to keep these as evidence."

Tezuka blinked for a second before gathering himself. "Aa, good point."

"Ne! How about we get fingerprints off of these?" Fuji suddenly exclaimed excitedly.

Tezuka, Saeki, and Bane all looked at one another.

"Well, why didn't we think of that before?" Saeki smirked. "Wasn't that an obvious step to begin with?"

"Let's get these to Inui right away," Tezuka said urgently. "He should be able to give us the results before the end of the day."

* * *

About two more hours passed by, and rehearsal was almost over. A few of the crew members volunteered to stay after hours to complete the props, wanting to see if they can finish off the paint tonight so that there would at least be a day for everything to dry. Only about a half hour was left by then, and some of the actors on stage were already eager to go home for the day.

"We already got these lines down perfectly," Niou yawned, stretching his arms. "In fact, everyone has. Can't we end this now?"

"We can always perfect even more that which is already perfect," Atobe proclaimed, placing a hand on his hip while swinging out the other in a grandiose gesture. "That is Hyotei's motto, and why we are the kings of the tennis world."

"Yet, they still lost to Seigaku in the first round of the tournament," Marui snorted to Niou, causing his teammate to burst into laughter.

Atobe immediately shot them a warning glare.

"Okay, everyone, we still have a half hour left! Stop fooling around and redo Act…" As Tomoka bellowed through the megaphone, Tezuka returned from his final rounds checking up on the clubs that afternoon. He entered the auditorium quietly and waited near the first row when Oishi approached him.

"Tezuka, can I speak to you for a moment?"

"Aa," the stoic man nodded, following his best friend to the corner of the room.

Once the two were away from earshot, Oishi asked his captain, "Tezuka, have you figured out who the stalker is?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"I see," Oishi frowned. "Has there been any new developments?"

Tezuka gave a very terse version of recent events.

"Hm, so it's not Tachibana," Oishi concluded from the updates.

"For now, it does not appear to be him."

The vice-captain let out a sigh. "How are you holding up?"

Tezuka blinked, surprised by the question, and then seeing that his friend was genuinely concerned for his welfare, he softened his expression slightly and responded, "I am fine. I am just worried for Fuji's safety."

"I know," Oishi nodded. "But Tezuka, you shouldn't get careless with yourself too. You should worry as much about yourself as-"

"Yo, Oishi," Saeki interrupted, walking up to the two Seigaku regulars, with Bane following close behind him. "Any updates?"

"Inui should be here by the end of rehearsal," Tezuka stated. "He assured us that he will be able to give us the results on time." He looked up on stage where Fuji was still rehearsing his lines with Atobe. "I am hoping that we will finally have our answers today."

"Speaking of which, it looks like Inui is here now," Bane motioned with his head to where the data collector was now approaching them.

Inui stopped before the group, his notebook in his hand as usual.

"Inui, what did you find?" Tezuka immediately asked.

The tall man adjusted his glasses, stating rather disappointingly, "There is a problem with the evidence presented to me."

Saeki, Bane, Oishi, and Tezuka all looked at one another before returning their attention to Inui.

"What do you mean?" Tezuka asked.

"I was not able to extract any fingerprints from the roses. There just isn't enough surface area on the stems for fingerprints to form. And there were no fingerprints on the box of chocolates."

"What? No fingerprints? How is that possible?" Saeki stepped forward. "So did the stalker use gloves or something?"

"No, it was actually simpler than that," Inui said.

"What do you mean?"

Inui stared at Saeki. "These box of chocolates are rather popular. They are also known to be wrapped in…plastic, when you first by them."

At this piece of information, Saeki nearly fell back. Of course, wasn't that obvious? The boxes of chocolates were plastic wrapped at the store too. Thus, any fingerprints left behind would be on the plastic wraps themselves, which were by now in the trash most likely. And it would probably be wishful thinking to hope that the plastic cover was in the trashcan next to the lockers. If anything, they would've noticed that, wouldn't they? Or do they need to go check? The stalker must've taken off the plastic at the last minute. Maybe he was purposefully being careful not to leave any fingerprints behind too.

Saeki scratched his head furiously in frustration while Tezuka only let out an inaudible irritated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Inui, is there anything else you can do?" the Seigaku captain asked.

"At this point, no," the data collector responded. "But would you like me to return the box of chocolates and roses to you?"

"Yes, please bring them back," Tezuka said, hiding the annoyance in his tone.

Once the data collector left to retrieve the items, Tezuka turned to the group and said, "We are now only left with gathering everyone's fingerprints."

"An impossible task is what you're implying," Saeki added, "without explaining the true reasons to everyone, that is."

"It would appear that way at the moment."

"Roses and chocolates," Oishi pondered. "I wonder if this stalker is rich. Those are rather expensive gifts to buy, for a week too."

"No kidding," Saeki remarked. "And the only one I can think of who is rich enough to do that is Atobe."

Everyone looked on stage where the Hyotei captain was now giving his grandiose version of a monologue, his presence brimming with light and importance as the lead actor of the play. To the group, it was a rather disgusting sight.

The last half hour flew by rather quickly, and rehearsal finally ended, leaving the actors excited to make their way home, except for Atobe, who wanted his teammates to spend extra time afterwards to further "perfect what is already perfect," a line he constantly threw much to the Rikkaidai's team's annoyance.

"Seriously, if I hear that man talk about perfection one more time, I'm going to gag," Niou complained to Yukimura.

"Calm down, Niou. Just let the Hyotei captain have his moment," the Rikkaidai captain smiled pleasantly. "After all, he will need memories of this proud moment to help him get through his loss in the nationals later."

The statement was calmly stated, even politely stated, hiding the cruel words delivered with the guise of kindness and generosity.

Niou, slightly taken back by the comment as well, smirked and said, "Yes, Yukimura Buchou."

Meanwhile, Fuji had just run passed the Rikkaidai pair, hopping off the stage to join his friends in the corner of the room.

"Ne, what did Inui say?" Fuji panted excitedly, looking at everyone with expectant eyes.

"Nothing. He couldn't get fingerprints," Saeki crossed his arms.

Fuji immediately frowned like a small child who had just found out he would not be having ice cream for dinner. Wasabi ice cream. "Oh, I see. So what now?"

"We're still brainstorming," Tezuka said. "Rehearsal is now over, and it looks like we will not be progressing as much."

"How disappointing," Bane yawned. "Man, I'm tired from waking up early to come here, only to find out that it wasn't Tachibana all along."

"We still aren't a hundred percent sure though," Saeki noted. "We can't immediately write him off our list of suspects."

_Bang._

Saeki glanced up to see the backstage crew continue working on overtime. Sounds of a hammer filled the auditorium.

"I am back," Inui suddenly appeared behind the group, surprising them. He handed over a large paper bag that contained the box of chocolates and roses and another heavy item. "Is there anything else you will need from me? I need to meet up with Yanagi to work out the logistics for the play."

"We are fine for now. Thank you, Inui," Tezuka excused his teammate, allowing the data collector to leave.

Except Inui didn't. "I think I still need to…return something. Your pencil box."

"Aa, right."

"It is in my bag. Come with me."

Tezuka followed Inui, leaving the group for a moment.

Saeki turned to Fuji. "Your captain has some weird attachment to that pencil box."

Fuji shrugged. "I'm surprised myself."

"Man, it's getting really hot in here," Bane complained, trying to fan himself with his own hand. "Doesn't it feel stuffy?"

"Now that you mention it, it does," Saeki nodded. "I thought it felt like the heater was left on."

"True, I didn't notice it at first," Oishi loosened his collar, feeling the heat.

Meanwhile, a couple feet away, Tezuka took out his hand and felt the small velvet pouch placed carefully in his palm.

"Thank you, Inui, for looking into this."

"It is not a problem," Inui adjusted his glasses, watching his captain immediately stuff the bag with the rings in his pocket. "I never knew you were such a romantic, Tezuka."

Tezuka shot Inui a warning look before turning around to leave.

Inui smiled and jotted into his notebook. "Ii data."

Once Tezuka was back, Saeki asked, "Are you sure we won't be needing him?"

"Not for now," Tezuka peered into the large paper bag, finding the box of chocolates, the roses, _and_ the pocketknife that they still haven't returned to Tachibana. "Everyone's leaving now. We need to return Tachibana's belonging."

Oishi stood next to Tezuka and also looked in the bag. "So unusual. Before, the stalker was alternating between chocolates and roses. I wonder why he suddenly decided to do both at once all of a sudden?"

"Who knows?" Saeki simply shrugged. True, it does seem odd that Fuji received two gifts-

_Bam!_

There was the sound of a drop of a hammer on stage, creating a large echo that ricocheted off the walls of the auditorium, and Saeki glanced up at the stage where the Seigaku freshman was now massaging his hands. The Rokkaku vice-captain let out a sigh. Despite his tennis prowess, prop construction was not the first year's forte, especially looking at the bandages on his hands-

Saeki froze on the spot suddenly. His sharp eyes and perfect vision zoomed in closer, closer, and closer, focusing on those white bandages that wrapped delicately and tightly around those long tennis playing fingers…

The memory of that day at the park flashed before his eyes. _"Ann wanted me to help her with the sewing for the costumes." Tachibana held up his bandaged fingers. "As you can see, sewing is not my forte…my fingers are starting to look like Echizen's bandaged ones."_

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Bam._

The hammer pounded in the shadowy echoes of the back of the Rokkaku vice-captain's head. Fuji appeared in his mind, mouthing something inaudible and jumbled. Saeki forced his memory to make out the words. Student…Seigaku uniform…neighbor…garden…

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Someone with a Seigaku uniform…_

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Bam._

A sudden flash of a scene that took place on stage…

"_Look at my HANDS!...How do you expect me to play tennis like this?"_

Saeki's eyes shook, focusing at the present on those bandaged fingers wrapping themselves around the hammer once more. Bandages perfectly covering the tips of those fingers…

"_I found what could be evidence of more fingerprints, and because the markings were very light and partial, I overlooked them unfortunately during my first examination." _Inui's voice repeated in his head.

_Partial…partial…_

Saeki's eyes widened.

Momoshiro's voice rang loudly from the argument that day in the auditorium a week ago.

"_Look how broke I am!"_

_Bam._

_Bam._

_Bam._

The sounds of the hammer rang incessantly in the back of his mind.

_It was the park again. Tachibana's smiling face appeared before him, soon fading into a frown. "Hm? Echizen didn't injure his fingers from building those stage sets."_

Saeki gasped, loud enough to surprise the group around him.

"Saeki, what's wrong?" Fuji asked immediately.

The Rokkaku vice-captain was frozen on the spot, flabbergasted for a second, before regaining his composure and turning to his friend with eyes lit up. "I know who your secret admirers are."

"Hm? Secret admirers?" Fuji blinked blankly.

Saeki threw a knowing smirk. "Yes, secret _admirers._"

* * *

Atobe stretched his arms up high into the air. The Hyotei captain had been practicing nonstop for the past week and a half, almost two weeks now. His lines are as perfect as can be, but as he stated earlier, one can still perfect what is already perfect. Unfortunately, the temperature was becoming rather bothersome at the moment. The auditorium felt unusually stuffy that day, and Atobe found himself starting to sweat. On top of that, the silver-haired male also realized that he was rather hungry. Strange, considering it was still slightly early for dinner. He looked at his watch. Perhaps he should have his team eat early as well? He glanced around, noting how a few of his teammates were holding their stomachs, no doubt hungry too. Just as Atobe was about to ask his team about this, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Tezuka, Fuji, Oishi, and a Rokkaku pair walking on stage to where a certain stage crew member was working.

Echizen pounded away at the board, putting the last nail into what would be the last prop he'll be working on that night. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he set the hammer aside, sighing in relief when he felt a tall shadow hover over him. Looking up, he saw the Rokkaku vice-captain standing next to him, a smirk on his face.

Echizen eyed him carefully, waiting for him to speak first.

Saeki noted those sharp green eyes observing him closely. He smiled steadily and said, "Echizen, we need to have a moment with you."

"We?" Echizen raised an eyebrow, and then blinked in surprise at finding his captain, vice-captain, senpai, and another Rokkaku regular around him. His mouth fell slightly ajar, not expecting this.

"Echizen," Tezuka's stern voice reached his ear. The first year nearly jumped, looking up at his captain.

"Buchou," the first year nodded.

"You are to be completely honest with what we are about to ask you," Tezuka ordered, those deep brown, stoic, demanding orbs impressing on the freshman.

Echizen sat up straight, his green eyes waiting.

"Why are your fingers bandaged?"

For a second, Echizen's eyes flinched, and the boy struggled for a split second to maintain his gaze. He opened his mouth, "I accidentally hurt myself."

"How?"

At this, Echizen appeared rather reluctant to answer.

"Echizen!" Tezuka ordered, his presence towering over the freshman.

Saeki watched with sharp eyes as the first year's fingers twitched on the ground, as though the boy was conflicted by some inner turmoil. Smirking, he added, "You've been so kind as to help a neighborhood lady out."

At this, Echizen shook visibly, and he turned to the Rokkaku vice-captain, mouth now completely open.

"What were you helping her with exactly?"

Echizen swallowed the lump in his throat, his face gone pale. It has now become terribly obvious to everyone that he was clearly perturbed. "I…was helping her with some chores."

"And what would those chores be?" Tezuka asked, bringing Echizen's attention back to him.

The first year looked down, swallowing again, hiding the look of anxiety in his eyes, something quite rare for anyone to see.

"Perhaps this will help you if you're having trouble remembering," Saeki said, nodding to Oishi.

The Seigaku vice-captain brought forward the bag that he had been hiding behind his back, and reaching in he pulled out the roses and tossed them to the ground before the first year.

Echizen jumped, eyes wide-eyed at the pile of roses now staring back at him from the floor.

"Oi, Echizen! It's getting hot in here," Momoshiro suddenly barged in, wrapping an arm around the first year and pulling him towards him with a smile. "What's this you guys got here? Some secret meeting…" his voice trailed off in a painful draw as his smile faded and eyes slowly enlarged at the pile of roses now on the floor. He glanced up at the group around him, from the Rokkaku pair to his own teammates, and finally to Tezuka, who was looking more frightening than ever in the second year's eyes. Momoshiro let out a small sound. "Hah…what is this all about…?" His heart nearly popped out of his chest as he watched his captain's eyes narrow even more at him, deep brown orbs bearing through him like an iron drill.

"Momoshiro!" Tezuka's voice rang loudly, making the second year cling onto Echizen tighter, with the first year already frozen in fear.

"Enough already, you two, stop this," Oishi scolded. He took out the box of chocolates and tossed it before them, to which Momoshiro also dropped his mouth at. "Really? It was you two all along?"

"And all for a bet, am I right?" Saeki added, crossing his arms.

Both the first year and second year looked at each of the disapproving faces before them.

"Echizen! Momoshiro! Explain yourselves!" Tezuka ordered.

Momoshiro and Echizen began shivering, now holding onto each other with extremely guilty faces. And before they knew it, they were spewing out gibberish. "It was just a bet! We didn't mean no harm! –it was Momo-senpai's idea—Echizen!—Started out simple—Not big of a deal—"

"Not big of a deal?" Tezuka yelled, nearly drawing attention from everyone present in the building as his voice echoed across the auditorium, earning glances from a few of the other tennis regulars from the other schools.

Momoshiro and Echizen both fell back at the tall, frightening frame of their captain who looked like he could crush them at any moment now with just the stomp of his foot.

"I can't believe you two!" Oishi immediately began scolding them. "A bet? It was all a bet this whole time? How can you do this to your own teammates, especially your own captain?"

"We're sorry," the two immediately began apologizing, cowering in fear as their Buchou was shaking with anger beyond himself.

"A bet?" Tezuka said in a strained tone. "All just a bet?"

The first year and second year swallowed in dread at what was coming next.

"Echizen! Momoshiro! 2000 LAPS, TWO WEEKS OF FRESHMAN TENNIS DUTIES, AND LOCKER CLEANUP EVERYDAY! YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE REGULAR'S TRAINING FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS! YOU WILL BE PICKING UP TENNIS BALLS EVERYDAY DURING THAT TIME, AND ON TOP OF YOUR 2000 LAPS, YOU WILL BE DOING 500 PUSHUPS AND 500 SITUPS AS WELL! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?"

Rarely has the group seen the Buchou lose his composure, and even Saeki and Bane and Oishi found themselves uncomfortable. It was very clear that Tezuka was extremely furious at the moment, as he should be. The only one who seemed rather unfazed was Fuji, as usual, who merely stood there smiling. But even the tensai showed hints of disappointment at learning that his own teammates were responsible for this whole fiasco.

Meanwhile, Echizen and Momoshiro shook, lowering their heads in shame. "Hai..."

"Hey, what was the bet on anyway, exactly?" Saeki asked, stepping forward. "You mind as well let out the whole truth. We know that you, Echizen, had been getting the roses from that woman's garden. And Momoshiro, you have been buying chocolates from that store. That's why you were complaining about going broke that day. I was wondering why you kept looking at your wallet for the longest time." He leaned forward. "So, exactly what did the bet entail?"

Both Echizen and Momoshiro looked at each other hesitantly before the first year spoke up. "We were betting on which gift Fuji would like more."

"Wait, what?" Saeki raised an eyebrow. "What kind of a stupid bet is that?"

"Did it ever occur to you that you could've accidentally broken up-" Oishi's voice trailed off at Tezuka glaring at him and reminding him that they were currently on stage, and that their voices were clearly carrying throughout the auditorium. The vice-captain coughed and whispered quietly but angrily, "You two could've accidentally caused a misunderstanding between Tezuka and Fuji."

Apparently, both Echizen and Momoshiro did not consider this at all, and the two felt even more ashamed.

"To see what Fuji likes more, chocolate or roses? Or to see if he would have a change of heart? Man! And what did you two bet on?" Saeki asked.

"Um…" Momoshiro stammered. "A…digital camera."

"Oh gosh, where would you get the money to buy something that expensive anyway?" Saeki couldn't believe the ridiculousness of this bet.

"All this for a camera?" Now Oishi seemed as though he was going to explode. "You two should be ashamed of yourselves!"

"We're sorry," the two immediately got down on their hands and knees, pleading. "We're really sorry!"

"You should be. I can't believe you two went this far!" Oishi continued scolding.

"Ne, even I have to say, you two really went too far," Fuji added, although not as strictly as the others.

"Gomen, Fuji-senpai," both Echizen and Momoshiro bowed down onto the floor. "We are sorry to you too, Buchou! Please forgive us!"

"Oi, can someone turn down the heater?" Atobe bellowed out at no one in particular as he fanned himself with the script. "It's getting really hot in here!"

Tezuka sighed, and said, "Oishi, you take Echizen and Momoshiro to Ryuzaki Sensei while I go turn down the heater."

"Ryuzaki Sensei!" The two younger regulars exclaimed in shock.

"Tezuka, do you want me to go turn down the heater instead?"

"No, because I am currently restraining myself from inflicting more punishment on these two," Tezuka shot Momoshiro and Echizen a death glare, sending the two cowering even more in fright. "I will be back to deal with this. I leave them in your hands for now."

Oishi nodded understandingly, and thus, Tezuka promptly left for the basement.

Once the Seigaku Buchou was gone, Oishi returned his attention to the two younger kohais once more. "You two! Seriously, even I have to say Tezuka is perhaps too light with his punishment."

"What? But Oishi Senpai, it's 2000 laps! 2000! On top of everything else!" Momoshiro pleaded.

"You have no right to complain!" Oishi crossed his arms. "How can you hurt your own teammates like that?"

"But Oishi Senpai," Echizen quickly interrupted. "We didn't mean any harm!"

"You call dropping a prop on someone not meaning any harm?" Saeki interjected.

"Huh?" Both Momoshiro and Echizen blinked, pausing. "Wait, what do you mean? That…that wasn't us!"

Saeki stared, watching them for a brief moment. "What do you mean?"

"Hey, what's with all the commotion?" The Fudomine captain suddenly appeared before the group. "The whole auditorium can practically hear you guys. Is there something wrong?"

"Ah, Tachibana." Saeki reached into the bag, which was already placed on the floor next to Oishi, and pulled out the pocketknife. "Here, this belongs to you."

"Huh?" Tachibana blinked, staring at the pocketknife. "That isn't mine."

"What?" Saeki fell back, along with Oishi and Bane. "Oi, isn't this your pocketknife?"

"No, that isn't mine!" Tachibana assured them.

Echizen glanced up at the Fudomine captain. "Tachibana Buchou, are you sure? I've been using that pocketknife."

"Impossible. I lost my pocketknife since two days ago and have been looking for it ever since."

Saeki stood still, observing the Fudomine captain carefully. "What…do you mean?"

"Echizen, you returned the pocketknife to me a few days ago, remember?"

"Yes, but then you lent it to me again," the first year responded.

"Since when?"

"You left it near my toolset at the back of the stage," Echizen pointed towards the side wall. "So I thought you were lending it to me once again."

"Wait, I left it there?" Tachibana thought about it, placing his chin in his hand. "I guess I must have. But that still doesn't explain what happened to it."

"So this really isn't yours?" Saeki held up the pocketknife again.

"No!"

"But it has your fingerprints on it!"

Tachibana took a step back. "Finger…wait, is that why you asked for my fingerprints?"

Realizing that he had blurted out information he shouldn't have, Saeki stumbled for a bit before deciding that it's already too late, and that it'd be best to just keep going. "Yes, we have your fingerprints on this pocketknife!"

"What is going on? Why does that matter anyway? And I told you, that's not my pocketknife!" By now, Tachibana's temper was surfacing, showing no signs of backing down, especially since he was the famous captain of Fudomine who single-handedly brought up what was considered to be one of the worst teams to one of the best. "I am not happy that you are treating me as though I'm some suspect!"

Saeki swallowed, slightly confounded. Suddenly, everything doesn't make sense anymore. How could it be that this pocketknife does not belong to Tachibana? Is the man lying? He slowly turned his eyes to Echizen and Momoshiro. "Did one of you say earlier that you weren't responsible for the prop falling on Tezuka?"

Echizen and Momoshiro looked at each other. "Why would we go so far as to do that? We were just betting for fun. We're not out to hurt anyone!"

Saeki turned to Bane and Oishi, who were equally confused.

"Oi! You all are so loud!" Atobe complained, stepping into the group. "Some of us are still practicing-"

"Wait!" Saeki held up his hand to the Hyotei man's face, stopping him for a moment and unaware of the unpleasant look in Atobe's reaction at being insulted in this manner. Saeki furrowed his brows. Something is not right. In fact, something is terribly wrong here. And Saeki wasn't the only one realizing this.

Fuji stepped forward. "Echizen, Momoshiro, you two only put flowers and chocolates in my locker?"

The two kohais looked up, seeing the rare serious look on Fuji's face. They nodded.

"And you two did not cause that prop to drop?"

"Why would we do that to Buchou?" Momoshiro replied. "He could've gotten seriously hurt! We wouldn't do something like that!"

Fuji knew they were telling the truth. He trusted his teammates enough to know that they would not cross the line and hurt their own peers like that. "And you two did not tear Sakuno-chan's bed apart."

"Oi! That would be horrible! We wouldn't do that to her!" Momoshiro protested vehemently. "You thought it was me and Echizen who did that? Since when would I do that to a cute girl like her?"

Fuji and Saeki were silent. It's true. The idea was completely farfetched. In fact, neither even thought that far and considered the possibility of these two doing something so cruel. It just didn't seem plausible.

Atobe shoved Saeki aside, stepping in. "Seriously, it's painful watching you guys. You're all so slow."

Saeki glared at the haughty man. "This is none of your business."

"What? The whole stalker thing?"

"S-Stalker!" Tachibana cried out. "Wait, what is this all about?"

"How do you know-" Saeki trailed off, raising a brow at the Hyotei captain before continuing. "Of course, should've known."

Fuji clearly showed his annoyance at this too, thinking the same thing. "Jirou."

"He's very reliable, despite his appearance," Atobe stated proudly. "And he's told me enough with his ramblings about your stalker problem, as much as I get sick of hearing about it."

"Wait, hold it, can someone tell me what is going on?" Tachibana asked, now completely lost.

"I don't think Tezuka will be happy about this," Bane said half-jokingly. "Looks like there's more people than necessary who knows about this now."

"There's a stalker? At Seigaku?" Momoshiro cried out.

"Really?" Echizen chimed in, eyes lit up.

"Like I said, it's painful watching you all," Atobe said condescendingly, staring at the first year specifically. "You really didn't know, kid? There's a stalker after your Buchou."

"Well, he's after Fuji," Saeki corrected. "But he's been trying to get rid of Tezuka by causing him grief."

Atobe raised a brow at him. "No, I believe he is after Tezuka."

Saeki glared at him, refraining himself from sounding too impatient. "I think you misunderstand, but I'm not surprised since Jirou is perhaps not the most reliable person to give you the correct information after all."

Atobe shot back a disapproving glare at being talked to in this manner. "I don't need Jirou to tell me anything for me to know what's going on. It's clear that the stalker is after Tezuka."

"What are you talking about?" Saeki argued back, getting irritated.

"Now, now, calm down you guys," Oishi held up his hands between the two of them, trying to ease the tension.

"Look here," Saeki continued, glaring at Atobe. "Did you not remember that day when that giant prop fell on Tezuka?"

"Yes, of course I remember. Do you really take me for an idiot?"

Saeki resisted the temptation to answer that question. "So…you saw that the prop fell on Tezuka…and…?" He motioned with his hands at the obvious answer. "Tezuka got hurt, remember?"

Atobe flared up, getting impatient. "Of course I know what happened. I was there you nitwit! The only reason Tezuka got hurt was because he pushed Fuji out of the way!"

There was a sudden silence that struck the group. The auditorium appeared to have gone quiet, erasing the ramblings and chattering of the other regulars practicing nearby, the ones putting the finishing touches on the props, and the ones moving the costumes to the back of the stage for a final checkup. At that moment, none of the other activities seemed to exist.

No one moved in that one group in the center stage except for Atobe, who continued the conversation. "The prop was clearly setup to fall on Fuji, who was the only one standing there at the time. But then Tezuka pushed him out of the way, and so he ended up getting hurt." He took a deep breath. "I didn't even need Jirou to give me information, for it was very obvious to me that day that someone was targeting Fuji."

The information stunned Saeki, Fuji, Bane, and Oishi as all four felt something hit them over the head with a big obvious, mocking bang. Saeki's heart pounded hard against his chest, a nervous sweatdrop forming at the top of his forehead. Does that mean that during this whole time…

"Do you all still not get it?" Atobe cried out, frustrated at the dumbfounded faces before him. "The stalker is after Tezuka!"

Saeki's heart felt as though it had gone ice cold and sunk to the bottom of his stomach at the horrifying realization creeping up his skin. He spoke slowly, carefully, choosing his words wisely. "Tachibana, if this pocketknife really isn't yours, and yet your fingerprints are on here…" Saeki's eyes slowly enlarged as the image of someone pulling out a pocketknife and presenting it before him in a restaurant suddenly flashed before his eyes. "_I recommend this brand. It is very sturdy and convenient."- The pleasant, steady voice with haunting, ambiguous eyes echoed in the back of his head. He watched as Tachibana observed the pocketknife, commenting, "Looks similar to mine…except mine is a different brand."_

"Where…where did Tezuka say he was going?" Fuji asked quietly.

The group turned their attention to the strange tone in the tensai's voice.

Fuji repeated himself, clearly visibly shaken as his face had gone pure white.

"Fuji-senpai?" Momoshiro asked slowly, frightened by how ill his senpai suddenly looked. "Are you okay?"

Fuji did not look well at all. The color was completely gone from his cheeks, leaving crystal blue eyes wide open and shaking even more. "Where is Tezuka?"

* * *

The Seigaku Buchou sighed as he took the ranch and turned the knob on the heater once more, trying to bring it down. Unfortunately, the flames were just not going down as much as he would like them to. Tezuka stared at the dancing lights that bounced off his face from the small caged door of the furnace. Why does Seigaku still have such an archaic object? He was seriously going to submit a request for a new heater, an updated one, after the interschool festival was over.

At the thought of the interschool festival again, Tezuka placed his other hand on the side of his pocket, feeling the red velvet bag protect the contents within.

Just two more days.

Palm pressing up against his pocket, he felt reassured. He needed to take his mind off things for a moment, specifically after what had just occurred above on stage. It had been a long strenuous two weeks, and Tezuka was looking forward to the interschool festival being finally over. He didn't realize that organizing such an event would be this draining, especially on top of his other duties and the unexpected annoyances that disrupted everything. Nevertheless, the preparations were still running well, and Tezuka was very glad about that. The student council has done a good job, and the Seigaku Kaichou made a mental note to thank everyone individually for all their hard work. He was very proud of them.

Sighing again in the small room in the basement, Tezuka set the ranch down on the side table, watching the furnace when suddenly he heard some footsteps behind him and the sound of the door closing slowly with a creak. He peered over his shoulder.

"Aa, Sanada."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The tall, dark-haired regular stood there in his Rikkaidai school uniform, tie and all except for the coat. His face maintained the usual serious, stern expression that rivaled that of the Seigaku captain. The glow from the flames in the furnace across the room bounced off the vice-captain's mature face, further contrasting his stark features and dark eyes against the orange hues dancing across the walls.

"Sanada." Tezuka watched the other man over his shoulder.

"Seigaku has a very outdated way of monitoring the temperature in the auditorium," the Rikkaidai man noted.

"Aa, but that will change after the festival." Tezuka turned his face back around to stare at the furnace before him. "I will be putting in a request to have this switched out to something more modern. This is much too dangerous as well. Someone can accidentally burn themselves touching the outside of this."

"That is true. It'd be best to have that furnace changed."

Tezuka nodded without turning back around at the sound of footsteps coming closer and stopping right beside him.

"As you said, someone can accidentally get hurt," Sanada added.

"Aa," Tezuka nodded once more. Yes, now that he thinks about it more, it really is dangerous for such a thing to be around students. For one thing, the little gate to the furnace that encased the flames within was not enough to prevent someone from burning himself should he be too close to it and touch the metal. Tezuka watched the archaic object, his deep brown orbs focused on the dancing lights as silence lingered in the room between the two men. For some reason, the Seigaku Buchou found himself feeling slightly…uncomfortable at the moment. He reached into his pocket subtly again, fingers slipping into the now opened bag and feeling the rings still safe within their encasing.

Another brief moment of silence passed between the two individuals.

"We need to get back. We still have a lot of tasks to fulfill for the play," Tezuka finally stated in his usual monotonous, dry manner as he turned around and headed for the door.

Reaching the entrance to the room, Tezuka turned the doorknob, only to find it uncooperative. Narrowing his eyes, he turned more forcefully this time, meeting more of the stubbornness of the doorknob as it refused to budge, seemingly stuck in place. He shook the doorknob a few times, tugging on it and turning clockwise and counterclockwise, only to meet with more failure. Sighing, he pushed and pulled, hearing the clicks of the doorknob shake within his gasp, but still the brass knob refused to budge. And then, there was a sudden flash and echo of a familiar voice.

_You may want to get this door checked._

A faint image of the friendly smile of the Fudomine captain appeared before him.

…_Your first year club member, Horio, had unwittingly locked himself in here. He was trying to adjust the temperature, but apparently, when the door is shut from the inside, it automatically locks itself and cannot be unlocked unless opened from the outside._

The Seigaku student council president frowned disapprovingly at the doorknob.

_The poor freshman was so scared and pounding on the door crying out for someone to rescue him._

Tezuka made another tug on the door, only to find it futile.

_Luckily, Sanada happened to be walking this corridor and heard him before quickly letting him out._

Tezuka's eyes slowly enlarged. His body tensed, facing the closed door as his instincts suddenly screamed wildly in high alert while his heart beat rapidly against his chest.

A footstep.

Tezuka could feel dark, black orbs boring straight into his back.

Another footstep.

The Seigaku captain felt a lump in his throat as he swallowed, remaining still and calm.

Another footstep.

A flurry of words hastily written on paper flashed across his eyes, whispering again and again in a haunting manner.

_Stay away from Fuji._

The large prop slowly falling, falling, falling forward onto the individual standing underneath it, repeated in endless cycles.

Another footstep.

Echoes of dark, shadowy hands, brusque and cold, touching and grabbing different parts of skin and flesh appeared like a nightmare as the supposed dream from that night returned in a heartbeat.

Another footstep.

A bead of cold sweat formed on the corner of the Seigaku Buchou's left temple as his haunting ringtone trilled again, again, and again in his ears, turning into endless calls that refused to become silent.

Another footstep.

Deep breathing—deep heavy breathing that was all so familiar, all so ever present—was now touching his heated left ear in silent whispers, with warm moist air brushing across in one stealth motion. Tezuka's heart was now pounding like mad at full speed against his chest, his mind exploding in a flurry of events that had transpired in the past week and a half. The outlines of the dark shadow appeared on the closed door before him, towering and closing in slowly, slowly, and slowly.

_Stay away from Fuji. Stay away from Fuji. Stay away from Fuji._

Those words hastily scrawled leaped off the paper, spinning into a twisted, distorted manner that echoed hauntingly and dementedly, whirling around like a wild carousel before transforming into a flurry of soap bars that slid in circles faster, faster, and faster until they formed the giant stage prop that cast its shadow over the person it was about to swallow. The large prop fell slowly against its motionless surroundings, nearing closer, and closer, and closer, its dark silhouette outlined against the stage lights as it fell forward towards…towards…

_You shouldn't have gotten hurt._

How could he have been this stupid.

"Tezuka," the voice whispered brusquely into his ear, startling him and breaking his train of thought.

Tezuka felt every color, every drop of blood suddenly leave his now pale face as he continued to stare silently at the locked door.

"Tezuka," the voice whispered again, desperately, pleadingly…

Wantingly.

Tezuka pushed the man away in a blind flurry, now finding himself halfway across the room away from the door. Panting and on guard, the Seigaku Buchou stared at the tall, quiet man standing calmly across from him, noting those deep, pitched black orbs always watching him from the stage in the auditorium, from the sea of padded chairs, from the bustling hallways of the school, from the quiet night street across from his home, from the safe haven across from his own bed in his own room—always watching him.

Deep brown orbs carefully observed that silent, serious face as flames from the furnace illuminated and uncovered the strange desire that lied within those bottomless abyss.

Tezuka closed his mouth and straightened himself, not about to let such a rival deter him in any manner. But at the same time, he could not completely ignore the unease he now felt at being in the presence of this particular man with unclear intentions. Narrowing his eyes, the Seigkau Buchou stated firmly, "I am leaving. I have no interest in playing childish games with you."

But Sanada remained still, continuing to stare at him steadily, quietly, purposefully.

Tezuka felt his finger twitch. Narrowing his eyes even more, he marched forward, heart pounding rapidly as he stormed right passed the man, surprised to find the Rikkaidai regular remain in the same spot. Reaching out a hand, Tezuka twisted the doorknob.

Still no good.

He tugged and pulled, jostling it frustratingly and even placing his foot on the door for support as as his patience wavered.

Still, the door would not budge.

The alarm rising within him, Tezuka shook the doorknob furiously once more when a large hand suddenly slapped against the door, landing right beside his face at eye level. The Seigaku captain froze, heart stopping for a brief second as he felt the heavy presence of the other man now close in from behind until that hot breath was upon his ear in precarious proximity.

"Tezuka."

A wet tongue ran up his ear.

Tezuka elbowed the man in the face, knocking him back a few steps before fully turning around to take on his opponent. But before he could even fully do so, he found himself suddenly pinned to the wall with his back against the door, his arms pulled apart and stretched wide to each side as he emitted a cry of surprise and stared straight into belligerent, volatile eyes.

"Sanada! What are you doing?" Tezuka bellowed.

"Why him?"

Tezuka blinked, confused.

"Why HIM?"

Tezuka was at a loss of words, his eyes wide open as he searched the face of the man who was gritting his teeth before him.

"I've told you to stay away from him!" Sanada growled, further grinding his hands against Tezuka's opened palms as large fingers tangled dangerously with matching ones. "Ever since we first met…" The Rikkaidai man, began. "Always you looked down on me with those eyes from the moment we first played our match, from the moment you defeated me! Me, the second in running to the champion, Yukimura, only to be defeated by an unknown and outsider like you!"

He pressed his hands harder against the others. The Seigaku captain winced for a moment at his knuckles being pushed uncomfortably against the hard, cold wall.

"I've trained hard ever since that time. Every day I went through rigorous training, always practicing, always pushing myself, always striving again and again for perfection until every part of my muscles were going to break. All the hard work I have put into becoming the best in tennis, all my efforts invested into this sport, and still you refused to see me, refused to recognize me, refused to acknowledge me!" He growled at Tezuka's face, leaning in even more until the two men were only two inches apart at eye level. "You wouldn't even have a simple tennis match with me!"

Tezuka narrowed his eyes, maintaining his wits as he glared back with equal fervor and said in a strained tone, "If you wanted a tennis match that badly…if that's all that you ever wanted…" He found his emotions bottling up and threatening to surface as the past week and a half of stress and harassment was now reaching its limit, "then you could've waited until the tournaments when we can properly face each other! What kind of vice-captain are you for going through all this just for a tennis match?"

Sanada was slightly taken back by the seething captain who just scolded him with a biting tongue. But then, regaining his composure, he stated, "Oh, this was not all for just a simple tennis match."

Tezuka blinked, face changing into one of confusion as he tried to make out the words.

And then, just like that, there was a sudden change in those eyes. Sanada was quiet for a moment, seemingly in control but not quite, and this gravely alarmed Tezuka even more.

The Rikkaidai captain leaned in even closer until his lips were just an inch away in a precarious manner. "Do you actually know…what it is that I really want since the day we first met?"

Tezuka froze, seemingly dumbfounded at first. Or rather, just in complete denial. For now that face was much too close for Tezuka's comfort, not that he was ever comfortable to begin with ever since he was in this room. He could feel that hot breath again on his skin, this time over his mouth. He felt every inch of his body tensing at this close proximity as those dark, bottomless eyes continued to hold him down.

"Tezuka…" Sanada began huskily. "I will not only defeat you in tennis." Those eyes closed in on him. "I will claim you completely myself."

And then rough lips latched onto his.

The bespectacled man's deep brown orbs shot wide open. Without warning, Tezuka banged his forehead hard against the other's, emitting a cry from both parties, before pushing the Rikkaidai man off him and struggling passed him while wiping his mouth in shock. Stumbling to maintain his balance from the brief, searing pain in his head and the startling realization that Sanada had just kissed him, Tezuka tried to open the door once more, determined to break it down this time before feeling the other man launch upon him again. The bespectacled man felt each of his wrists grabbed as he was forced against the door face forward, grunting at the other man now pressing up against his body aggressively from the back and grinding himself hard.

Very hard.

Tezuka cried out in horror as he felt something thick grinding again and again against him. He tried to lift up his arms, his strength rivaling the others, but there was one major concern that ran across Tezuka's mind.

Sanada has martial arts training. Tezuka does not.

The two struggled against each other, their scuffles and grunts filling the room before one of them suddenly found the side of his face pinned against the dry cement floor, his arm twisted painfully behind him in a locked position. Tezuka grunted at the pain as he was brought down to his knees while his bangs partially blocked his sight. He looked back apprehensively from the ground, now seeing those pitch black orbs shake uncontrollably, violently, volatilely until they looked like they were about to burst. And that disturbed Tezuka greatly. Hunched over with his face still to the cement, he was briefly reminded of that incident a long time ago when Fuji took him unwillingly in this position for the second time in the locker room.

But this was much, much worse. The Rikkaidai vice-captain looked like he was filled with hungry anticipation, and Tezuka dreaded what the other man had in mind.

"Sanada!" The student council president let out in a half cry, his face maintaining its toughness but also betraying hints of fear as every muscle shook in his body.

Sanada leaned in, hand holding tightly onto the arm locked against Tezuka's back while the other hand began to loosen his own striped tie. "It would appear that I will have to make you understand this way."

"What are you..talking about?" Tezuka struggled, grunting as he tried to escape from this grip.

"It's useless, Tezuka. I have your good arm pinned. You can't even use your free right arm to reach me, but that is all right, for I will help you."

Tezuka felt his right hand now pulled back behind him too as his two arms were suddenly binded tightly against each other with the school tie. Tezuka was seething, still slightly disoriented from the pain in his forehead earlier. Even though the Seigaku Buchou rivaled the Rikkaidai vice-captain in the tennis world, he also knew he was at a grave disadvantage when it came to hand-on-hand combat with such an opponent, for Tezuka was well aware of Sanada's strong background in kendo and other martial arts. And right now, that opponent was clearly taking advantage of his fighting skills.

"Sanada! You…!" Tezuka shifted around agitatedly. "How dare you break into my house like that! You invaded my room!" He moved around some more. "You even touched my personal belongings!"

"How could you even think of being with someone as worthless as _him_?" Sanada shouted back. "Honestly Tezuka, engagement rings? At your age?"

"I suppose I shouldn't bother asking how you got a hold of my number."

"That's good then. I don't think it's necessary to explain myself."

"This whole time _you_ were the one causing me endless stress!"

"I was trying to protect you from ruining your reputation and, therefore, your life by being with…with…that worthless Seigaku regular!"

"He is not worthless! And for you to go so far as to…" Tezuka was shaking vehemently as he was ready to erupt like a volcano. "Trying to hurt Fuji like that!" Tezuka struggled some more within his binds. "Are you insane for dropping that prop on him?"

"You weren't supposed to get hurt!" Sanada cried out defensively. "If you hadn't jumped in to push him out of the way, you would've been safe!"

"So you would go so far as to harm another human being?"

"He would've simply been shaken, that is all. That prop is light, it wouldn't have caused any major damage for someone his size. I didn't intend for anyone to get hurt that badly!"

"That badly? Is that your defense?" Tezuka laughed mockingly. "Even going so far as to tear apart Sakuno's hard work! I thought better of you, Sanada. You should be ashamed as vice-captain!"

Sanada was not amused by these scornful remarks, and he purposefully twisted Tezuka's arm at a slight angle, emitting a grunt of pain for a brief second. He leaned forward and said, "_I_ should be ashamed? You are one to talk." He ran a finger down the crack line of Tezuka's pants, causing the man to tremble. "Having yourself done to like that while engaging in such an inappropriate act on that very 'hard work' of hers that you mentioned."

At this, Tezuka did not have a retort. Instead, he struggled some more, not liking the finger that lingered around his buttocks. "Don't touch me!"

"Oh, but you loved being touched, don't you?" Sanada's hand snaked around Tezuka's waist until it reached the front of the pants and groped the crotch.

"Ah!" Tezuka cried out in shock and surprise, lifting up his head. He looked over his shoulder again with wide eyes as a pair of frightening, dark, _desiring_ orbs stared back at him.

"You have no right to say I should be ashamed," Sanada shot back. "Watching you bend over like that, moaning shamelessly as you were being FUCKED!" The vice-captain lowered himself and grinded his front against the other man's behind.

Tezuka's face flushed as he yelped at the feel of something hard (he knows very well what) being pressed roughly against him from the back once more.

"Not just on stage, but even in the locker room in the showers, you have no shame and let yourself be done to like that in that manner by someone as worthless as…as him!" Sanada pushed Tezuka's face further to the ground as he leaned against that flushed ear and licked it, emitting a startle. "_I_ am more worthy of claiming you than him."

Tezuka's eyes enlarged as he felt the top of his ear bitten down on. His guarded instincts now entering full attack mode, the Seigaku captain threw his head back, effectively knocking Sanada's jaw and emitting a satisfactory cry of pain from the other man before quickly struggling within his binds. Luckily, Sanada didn't do a very good job of tying him down, and the bespectacled Buchou was able to loosen the tie and free himself as he struggled back onto his feet. But then he felt a hand grab his ankle, causing him to trip and fall back down onto the hard, cold floor when the sound of something light and delicate resonated against the surface.

That's when Tezuka froze and looked up in horror. During the scuffle, the small velvet pouch had managed to travel halfway up his pocket, loosening along the way, when his fall was the final act that sent the pair of rings launching out of the small bag. Deep, brown eyes watched in disbelief as the rings bounced onto the floor once before flying midair towards the furnace.

"No!" Tezuka cried out, throwing his hand out to catch the shiny cylinders when his fingers clasped over nothing and saw the rings disappear between the openings of the small gate to the furnace. The flames temporarily erupted in a small brightness before the dancing lights lessened and fell back into their normal stupor. At that moment, the Seigaku Buchou was washed over by a wave of shock and devastation as his eyes continued to stare in disbelief at that small furnace door that now housed the future of his and Fuji's melting away. "No!" Tezuka cried out, struggling to get up again when he felt Sanada effectively wrap his arms around him and bring him back down. The Seigaku captain desperately reached out with his hand towards the furnace, fingers struggling to inch forward, but it was already too late for the flames have no doubt engulfed every bit of those shiny metals that were fed to their grasps.

Tezuka was overcome with anguish, and he swiftly turned around and punched the other man in the face. Taking advantage of Sanada's temporary disorientation, Tezuka got back onto his feet and ran towards the door, this time kicking it when he felt Sanada pounce him. Strong, skillful arms spun him around and pinned him against the door by the wrists as a pair of rough lips landed on his once more. Eyes widening in shock, Tezuka struggled as he felt a tongue forcefully seek entry into his mouth until it managed to seep through and lick the inside of his cavern. Disgusted, greatly disturbed, and even downright scared at this point, Tezuka was set on biting down on that tongue when Sanada seemed to have read his mind and pulled back temporarily before devouring him with kisses. Tezuka turned to the side, face flushed and eyes in horror as he felt those rough lips go down his neck until sharp teeth nibbled at the corner. Heart pounding fast, Tezuka pushed with all his might, trying to pry that face away when he felt those hands spin him around in a full circle once more, dizzying him in the process before pushing him down to the ground and onto his knees. Rough hands wrapped around him from behind, with one grabbing his neck, threatening to restrict his airway as another hand came down and groped him some more at the front of his pants. Tezuka struggled and struggled as though against a current, trying to fight one who clearly had more fighting skills than he ever did (if any at all), and he gasped as he felt that large hand grab and squeeze desirously before proceeding to rub him in combination.

That's when Tezuka fell forward at the sensation, shocked and shaking as his legs quivered at the hand that rubbed and stroked and squeezed. Mouth open and dry, he panted and tried to pry the hand away. Flashbacks of the nightmare he had experienced in his own room that night just a few days before came rushing back. The hand on his neck moved downward and pulled the left arm back into an uncomfortable position as the other hand now proceeded to unbuckle his pants and unzip.

"Stop!" Tezuka protested at the hand slipping in swiftly, now creating the dreaded skin-to-skin contact. Wincing and tensing, the directness of this was becoming too much, and the bespectacled man found in shock his body reacting to the foul touch. He felt sick, he felt sicker than he has ever felt in his lifetime. He even wondered for a second if he wanted to vomit. The foul hand invaded him, molesting his groin and rubbing and stroking roughly. The poor Seigaku captain found his face becoming even more flushed as he panted and doubled over, hearing in horror a small groan released from his throat.

No, this must stop!

Tezuka tried to elbow the man and knock him back with his head, but all tries were futile as Sanada was able to read his moves and effectively dodge the attempts at striking him and hitting him. Suddenly, the Rikkaidai man released his jewel, pulling back to now grope the bespectacled man's buttocks. Tezuka froze for a moment, terrified at where this was clearly going, as the finger ran down the crack of his pants in a much too intimate manner before trying to probe through the cloth at the entrance.

Sanada licked his lips and leaned in, breathing heavily against Tezuka's ear. He kissed that flushed ear, the hunger and desire clear in his husky breaths. And then he smoldered his face into Tezuka's hair, burying himself within the bespectacled boy's locks and breathing in deeply the aroma and smell of the other man.

Tezuka frowned, shaking at these intimate ministrations. He was at a grave disadvantage with his good arm pulled back behind him, and now he wished that he had taken some form of martial arts training sometime in the past. If this was tennis, he would have clearly wasted this man on the courts. But right now, this was a whole other fight, and one that he may not be able to win in. The more that possibility dawned on him, the more the bespectacled man felt dejected. He stared up at the furnace again where the rings were now gone forever.

_Fuji._

His heart sank as it was overcome with devastation.

Those rings...his and Fuji's future...is it going to end just like that?

Still, he continued to struggle, continued to fight, for he was one to never back down. But the fear and the heartfelt loss of the rings was starting to spread throughout his body with every passing second as the other man's hand now gripped the waistband.

* * *

"Are you two sure you didn't write the note?" Saeki interrogated the Seigaku regulars once more, rather flustered by all this.

"We didn't! We're telling the truth!" Echizen and Momoshiro both responded desperately.

Saeki pulled back, staring at them. "If you guys didn't write 'stay away from Fuji'…" Saeki stomped his foot in frustration. "Should've known!"

"Shit, so there was another stalker all along?" Bane asked.

"That means Tezuka's out there alone with the stalker!" Oishi cried out, completely alarmed and rattled.

"We have to find him," Fuji stated, panicking. "We need to find Tezuka!"

"But wait, do we even know who this other stalker is?" Bane asked.

"Hey, isn't that my pocketknife?"

The familiar, pleasant voice brought everyone's attention to its owner.

Yukimura gently took the pocketknife from Saeki's hand, not noticing the stunned look on the other man's face. "How come you have it?" the blue-haired captain asked, slightly surprised as his eyes observed the blade carefully.

And then, Saeki cursed to himself, much to everyone's surprise. "Dammit, I know who it is!"

Yukimura immediately glanced at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"Wait, you don't mean…" Oishi began, his voice trailing away.

"Saeki," Fuji said, completely serious as his blue eyes revealed the urgency in the manner. "We have to find Tezuka now. I think he's in danger!"

"Oi, I doubt this is serious," Atobe stated, crossing his arms. "Tezuka is perfectly capable of taking care of himself-Hey! Are any of you listening?" But the Hyotei captain's voice was lost among the echoes of the auditorium as Fuji, Saeki, Bane, and even Yukimura ran full speed ahead towards the basement, leaving Oishi, the two younger Seigaku regulars, Tachibana, and the silver-haired male behind in a state of confusion.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Fuji couldn't recall a time in his life when he felt more terrified than now. He ran down the stairs, ignoring the possibility of tripping as his legs carried him recklessly down the steps. His heart was beating at an abnormally fast rate as his mind whirled at the revelations presented before him.

_The stalker is after Tezuka!_

Atobe's words echoed in his mind. Fuji cursed himself for not being able to protect Tezuka when Tezuka was looking out for him, even though it was the bespectacled boy who needed protection the whole time. The tensai couldn't believe how stupid and careless he had been throughout this whole ordeal. To think that it was Tezuka who was the one in danger, a different kind of danger from what they had surmised!

Saeki, looking to his left, said between pants, "Yukimura, you're coming too?"

The Rikkaidai captain was panting too as he ran alongside the Rokkaku pair and Seigaku tensai, not bothering to respond.

The group finally reached the basement below once more, the dull hallways present before them as they were this morning.

"Tezuka said he was going to go turn down the heater, right?" Fuji said as they all stopped and paused for breath. "I remembered him saying that."

"Yes, but where is the heater room? I'm not familiar with your school's layout, especially something like the basement," Saeki said, eyes scanning the hallways on either side of him.

"Should we split up?" Bane suggested. "It may be faster in finding Tezuka."

"Ack!" Saeki suddenly cried out, jumping at the sudden strength of a hand clasping down on his shoulder. He whirled around to find the Hyotei man standing behind him, a rather disgruntled look on his face. "Atobe! Don't scare us like that!"

"You all were the ones who decided to just run off like that!" The silvery-haired man yelled back, equally annoyed as the Rokkaku vice-captain.

"Why are you following us?" Saeki bit back, clearly not liking this uninvited addition to their party.

Atobe stared at him condescendingly, replying, "Because at least I had the brains to ask where the heater room is."

Saeki, Bane, Fuji, and Yukimura all blinked at this response.

"That is what you're looking for, right? Tachibana said he was down there before. He mentioned something about a first year getting locked inside by accident."

"What?" The group exclaimed.

* * *

Tezuka resisted the other man on top of him, fighting back as best he could in his current miserable state. He struggled, making it harder for the dark-haired male to get a good grip on his pants.

"Stop refusing!" Sanada ordered angrily, pushing the other's head back against the floor and groping his groin hard, emitting a cry from the bespectacled man.

Tezuka gritted his teeth, trying to evade those filthy hands that continued to touch places they shouldn't. _Fuji._ Tezuka shut his eyes tightly, heart pounding desperately. _Fuji! _

_Bam! Bam! Bam!_

The heavy pounding on the door startled both men as they froze and turned their heads to the direction of the noise. Again, there was more pounding while the doorknob shook rapidly. Muffled voices could be heard on the other side as the whole wall trembled.

And then, a pause.

The silence was rather unsettling and suspenseful. Nothing stirred at that moment.

Suddenly, there was a loud cry, and Tezuka and Sanada watched with wide eyes as the door burst open and came crashing down, followed by a group of tennis regulars falling forward, their eyes equally shocked as well as they tumbled to the ground in a loud raucous. The sound of the door hitting against the hard concrete floor ricocheted off the walls of the heater room, right before the painful groans were emitted from the mouths of each tennis regular. And as they pushed themselves up dizzily, both set of groups suddenly froze upon eye contact. Fuji, Saeki, Bane, Yukimura, and Atobe all stared with their mouths open at the sight before them. The dark-haired male was leaning over the brown-haired third year in a precarious position, his one hand on the front of the other man's pants while the other one locked down the bottom man's arm against his back. The flustered bespectacled male straddled down had hair and shirt obviously disheveled as his eyes stared in disbelief, brown orbs completely dilated. No one could say a word at that moment as their brains slowly registered the sight before them.

The Rikkaidai vice-captain and Seigaku Buchou were also staring back in shock, their mouths ajar as well at the unexpected group and the now broken door.

There was an awkward silence.

And then, without a moment's hesitation, everyone watched as the tensai jumped onto his feet, ran forward, leaped into the air, and kicked the face of that dark-haired male. The latter was sent flying back, his hands immediately releasing their hold on Tezuka. And then, the Rikkaidai male fell onto the floor in pain.

Fuji immediately attended to Tezuka, helping him sit up on his knees. "Tezuka, are you all right?" he asked frantically, heart pounding wildly at finding his captain in this disheveled state. Blue orbs widened as he watched Tezuka stare at the floor and avoid his gaze, his body shaking and trembling as strands of bangs covered his eyes.

Meanwhile, the proud Atobe, now standing up, could not believe what he had just witnessed. "Are you serious?"

There was a groan, and the others turned their heads to see Sanada getting back on his knees as he rubbed his jaw in pain. Saeki stepped forward, his shadow grabbing Sanada's attention. The Rokkaku vice-captain held out his hand. "The proof."

"What?" Sanada asked, still rubbing his chin.

"It's still on you," Saeki stated, eyes maintaining its demanding gaze. "You have it, don't you? That which is not yours?"

Dark orbs shook and turned away momentarily.

"You didn't have a chance to return it. I believe you should hand it over so that I can properly return it to its rightful owner."

Sanada clenched his teeth as he hesitantly reached into his pant pocket and pulled out a shiny object.

"A pocketknife!" Bane exclaimed in disbelief! "Wait, you mean, that's…?"

"Tachibana's," Saeki finished as he took the pocketknife into his hand.

"But…but how?" Bane asked.

Saeki stared down at the dark-haired male and opened his mouth, ready to let out a flurry of angry, scalding words when he suddenly saw beautiful strands of blue hair fly right past him. Before he could even react, there was a loud slap, and everyone jumped in surprised as Sanada was sent flying back once more onto the concrete.

The Rikkaidai vice-captain struggled to sit up. "Y-Y-Yukimura!" He cried out shakily in shock and disbelief at being slapped so harshly, holding his cheek at the red sting that now took over his face.

"You…"

Sanada blinked, freezing at the strange tone in his captain's voice.

"You…" Yukimura repeated, voice strained and hands shaking vividly. "Am I…not good enough?"

Sanada shook, startled and taken back by the question, as was everyone else standing in the room.

"All this time…am I not good enough for you?"

Sanada's mouth fell ajar, his throat stuck as he stared up at frightening eyes filled with fire and fury burning him alive. And then, he felt his shirt collar grabbed roughly, pulling him halfway up as he now came face to face with those eyes.

"Was I not good enough for you?" Yukimura cried out, the deceiving mask of calm and pleasantness completely gone now.

The dark-haired regular was speechless, still staring into his captain's furious, scalding eyes.

Saeki, Bane, Atobe, and Fuji watched.

"You said you would be loyal to me," Yukimura continued. "You said you would always stand by my side!" His hand clasped tightly over Sanada's collar, shaking even more. "You vowed your loyalty to me, yet, this whole time, your eyes were always on _him_. You only thought about _him._" Flashes of memories of Sanada defeated on the court the first time in grade school by that unknown, of Sanada training even harder after that, of Sanada constantly watching the bespectacled Seigaku captain, constantly declaring his goal of defeating that man one day, flooded the Rikkaidai captain's mind. "I had my suspicions," Yukimura continued as flashbacks prevailed. "You would leave immediately right after rehearsal, or arrive early the next day on your own, and then suddenly disappear again, and ask to borrow my pocketknife for your Kendo equipment. I visited your home at night a few times, and each time your family said you weren't home, telling me that you had gone out to the courts to practice or to run errands. I knew that wasn't true, because I did not see you on the courts." Yukimura shook him roughly once. "You were even impatient and eager to leave the park that one day. I became increasingly concerned, and decided to keep an eye on you, but still, you managed to evade me. I could not control you. And then, that day when the stage prop fell…" he took a small breath, "I didn't want to acknowledge it. I noticed you acting strangely, and yet I turned a blind eye." He looked down momentarily in regret. "I…didn't want to suspect you. That is my own fault. Had I not been so willingly blind to it…" He glanced up and stared into those eyes once more, the unusual display of pain clear in the blue-haired male. "So I'm asking you…am I...not good enough for you?"

Sanada couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Yukimura, I have always been loyal to you. What are you talking about? I respect you more than anyone else in this world! You…you are my captain!"

"And is that all I am to you?"

Sanada froze. The strange words repeated in his mind again and again until he slowly came to a powerful realization.

The other regulars also stared in shock at what they were now hearing.

"Yukimura…you mean…you…towards me…this whole time…" Sanada slowly mouthed the words. But he wasn't able to finish as he suddenly yelped in pain.

Yukimura was now tugging on his vice-captain's ear, the condescending and deceiving calm look returned to his face as he pulled on that now red ear even more and began walking towards the Seigaku pair on the floor.

"Itai! Itai!" Sanada winced even more in pain, the tears nearing his eyes at his abused flesh as he was dragged alongside his captain.

Fuji glanced up to see Yukimura approach them, the captain's fingers still pinched tightly over Sanada's ear as the other man was hunched over in pain.

"Gomen, to you and Tezuka," Yukimura began, his eyes softening a bit as he bowed politely. "I am as much in fault in this as Sanada, and I apologize for not being able to keep an eye on my own vice-captain. I am sorry that this must have been a nightmare for you two the past two weeks, especially for…" his eyes slowly turned to the bespectacled man with his back facing him. "Tezuka." He looked at Fuji again. "I know I have no right to ask for this, and I understand if you don't agree to this request, but…" he paused for a moment, "Please do not tell the school about this incident. I will ensure you that my vice-captain will endure the harshest punishment appropriate for all the things he had done."

There was another cry of pain as Yukimura tugged on that ear even more with his strength.

"Wait, what, not report this to their coach or the school you mean?" Saeki stepped forward. "That's ridiculous! How can you even think of asking for such a request?"

"I know," Yukimura responded. "I am aware that I have no right to ask for forgiveness. But," he returned his attention to Fuji again. "Sanada is still my vice-captain and very important to me. If he was to be reported, he would be expelled. His whole career as a tennis player will be permanently ruined."

"Like we care!" Bane folded his arms defiantly.

"_Your_ vice-captain could've permanently ruined Tezuka! Did you not see what he was about to do!"

"Yes, I know," Yukimura closed his eyes. "And not just him, but I also deserve the harshest punishment appropriate for his actions. But still.."

Yukimura opened his eyes and turned to the hazelnut haired boy sitting on the floor. And then, much to everyone's surprise, he got down on his knees and bowed until his face and hands were on the floor.

Sanada stared in shock, never having seen his captain show such a humbling gesture. He frowned. "Yukimura…ITAI!" Sanada cried out in pain once more as a hand flew out to his ear and pulled his whole face down to the floor as well.

"Fuji, I'm asking if you and Tezuka would be forgiving enough as to not report this, even though we do not deserve anything even remotely kind from you at all." Yukimura said, face still on the cold concrete.

There was a pause, and all eyes expect for Tezuka's were on Fuji, who was looking at the bowed man with a silent, neutral expression. And then, he said quietly but firmly, "I will not report this."

Yukimura immediately lifted up his head, along with Sanada.

"But understand this," Fuji added. "I only say this because Tezuka, although not being in a state to answer right now, would choose that. Anytime it involves someone possibly ruining their tennis career, despite his strict disciplinary personality, he believes in giving people second chances, even to those who don't deserve it." Sharp, crystal blue eyes suddenly flickered harboring as they now directed themselves at the culprit. "As for me, however, I personally don't give a damn what happens to your vice-captain. I am not as kind as Tezuka." Everyone could feel the strange aura emitting from the tensai, who began to reveal that one frightening side of him that only one unlucky opponent has ever faced when he had almost harmed someone very dear to the tensai. "So I'll tell you this now. I can't guarantee that Tezuka, when he is back to sound mind, would not decide to suddenly report this. But what I can guarantee is that if Sanada as so much as goes even ten feet of him or even shows signs of approaching him," Fuji's blue eyes darkened with a shadowy, warning gaze, "I will see to it myself that your vice-captain is completely wiped out from the face of the earth."

The words were so biting, so cold that even Sanada felt his heart pounding as chills ran down his spine. Saeki and Bane also felt the same way.

Yukimura nodded. "I understand." He got up on his feet and dragged Sanada onto his own by his ear.

"Itai!"

"Quiet," Yukimura scolded. "I'm going to ensure that you deserve the harshest punishment fit for your despicable actions. I will also see to it that you properly fix the prop that poor first year girl did and you ruined. You really brought shame to the Rikkaidai team!"

"Yukimura, please, forgive me…AH!" Sanada cried out more in pain as he is dragged out the door by his ear alongside his captain.

Once the two left the room, both Saeki and Bane looked at each other.

"Well, who would have ever thought," Saeki said, slightly amused. "I always wondered about those two."

"So case solved," Bane smiled, throwing his hands behind his head. "I'm glad this is over. Talk about a long two weeks!"

Saeki turned his head to the Seigaku pair on the floor. "Hey, you two, we should go celebrate-" Saeki stopped mid-sentence, blinking.

Tezuka still had his back turned against everyone, his face lowered. "Tezuka?" Fuji frowned at him, surprised that Tezuka was still avoiding his eyes.

Atobe, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed this whole time, watched quietly. Sharp eyes landed on the bespectacled man before him. He saw one hand of the Seigaku captain clasped tightly over his shirt collar, and the other gripping tightly the front button clasp of his pants. The third year was fidgeting, clearly shaken and uncomfortable. Closing his eyes once and opening them, Atobe calmly stepped away from the wall and coolly stuck his hands into his pockets. "We should go."

"Huh?" Both Saeki and Bane turned to Atobe, who was heading out the doorless entrance, before turning their eyes to the Seigaku pair. And then, taking the hint, the Rokkaku vice-captain and his friend looked at each other before quietly following the Hyotei captain out of the room.

Fuji and Tezuka were both finally alone, left the with the sounds of the crackling fire in the furnace of the dimly lit room. "Tezuka," Fuji repeated softly.

"The rings."

Fuji was startled by the sudden, unexpected hoarse voice.

"The rings…" Tezuka repeated quietly, finally glancing up at the furnace, a look of devastation in his eyes. "I had it all…planned out." His face looked harrowed as the past two weeks of student council duties, interschool festival responsibilities, the play, and the nightmares caused by the stalker finally weighed down on the Seigaku captain. "I had gotten rings…for us. I was going to give them to you on the evening of the festival, but now…" his broken voice trailed off as his eyes stared in distress at the dancing flames of the furnace.

Fuji dropped his mouth as his head snapped to the furnace. _Rings? _ Could it be that...He couldn't believe what he had just heard. His heart began to pound wildly. Swallowing, he softened his gaze and said with a kind voice, "Come, let's get out of this room."

* * *

The echoes of their footsteps could be heard as Saeki and Bane walked a few feet behind Atobe, who was strolling on ahead in silence.

"So, Sanada was the stalker this whole time, was the reason that stage prop fell, was the one who ruined Sakuno's prop, and…wait, how did he end up with Tachibana's pocketknife?" Bane asked his friend. "Since when did this happen? And how did Tachibana end up with Yukimura's?"

"I got that all figured out now," Saeki said, face serious as he only stared ahead. "The other day, Sanada must have asked Yukimura for his pocketknife again, wanting to use it to fix his kendo staff. Yukimura left it on a table for him on stage. But the backstage crew works around there, namely a certain first year. Echizen had temporarily placed Tachibana's pocketknife, which he was also borrowing, on the same table. And while he wasn't looking, Sanada accidentally took Tachibana's pocketknife instead. The two pocketknives look very similar, so it's easy to get both mixed up. Thus, Echizen was left with Yukimura's pocketknife, and after he finished using it, he must have placed it back on stage near his tool box before the other night's incident with Sakuno's prop. Later that evening, in a blind flurry at seeing what Tezuka and Fuji were doing on stage, Sanada ended up using the pocketknife to tear up Sakuno's bed. However, I highly doubt he had borrowed the pocketknife for that purpose. He most likely did plan on using it for his kendo equipment, but the pocketknife happened to be convenient in his moment of fury at witnessing Tezuka and Fuji together."

"So, Sanada had Tachibana's pocketknife, and Echizen had Yukimura's, which explains how Echizen's fingerprints ended up on Yukimura's own pocketknife as well."

"That is correct."

"And Sanada, Yukimura, Echizen, and even Tachibana, from when he was at the restaurant, all had their fingerprints on there. No wonder it was confusing."

"Yes."

"But Saeki, that day at the restaurant, you also touched Yukimura's pocketknife. Shouldn't Inui have found your fingerprints on them as well?"

Saeki stopped in his footsteps.

Bane followed suit, surprised.

"Yes, I did think about that," Saeki began. "In fact, I've been thinking about that."

"So, did Inui really not find them? I mean, I'm pretty sure he has your fingerprints on file given what happened a while back in our encounter with Seigaku. You did try to screw Tezuka and Fuji over."

Saeki shot him a glare, but Bane only smiled back in amusement. And then, he returned his attention to the front. "I'm a hundred percent sure Inui found my fingerprints on there. He just decided not to say anything because he didn't want to give Tezuka and Fuji the wrong idea and have them think I'm the stalker, especially since I do have a lot of past incriminating evidence against me."

"Wait, you mean, Inui knew the details of what was going on?"

"Oh, of course he does. He is a very observant data collector. Nothing gets past him," Saeki noted. "Even though everyone was giving him minimal details of what was going on, he pretty much figured out what we were doing already. He just chose not to say anything out of respect."

"So he purposely didn't mention your fingerprints because he trusted you were not the stalker?"

"I think trust is too strong of a word. I highly doubt that he trusts me yet. I think it's more like given the evidence at the time, it was obvious to him that it would be impossible for me to be the stalker. Plus," he sighed, "he knew it wasn't my style. He's collected enough data on me from the last time to know how I work, as much as I don't want to admit it."

"I see," Bane said. "Well, go on. What happened after Sanada tore up the bed with Tachibana's knife? That still doesn't explain how Yukimura's ended up in the hidden room underneath the trapped door."

"Well," Saeki continued as the two began walking again, "I suspect that around that time, the janitor was either coming into the auditorium or about to. I calculated the possible times that this all occurred based on Tezuka and Fuji's information, and that is pretty close to when the janitor comes to clean the auditorium from what I've seen on a schedule posted around here. So, in Sanada's ensuing panic, he wanted to hide the evidence, and so slipped through the trap door to the hidden room below and stowed it in the spot where we found it. Probably at that moment as he was hiding it, he finally realized that it was Tachibana's pocketknife, but more than likely the janitor was already in the auditorium then. With no time to switch them back, he left that one hidden in that room and left. Since the janitor locks the doors, Sanada wasn't able to go back in that evening to correct his mistake."

"Man," Bane said, exasperated by the explanation.

"The next morning, Sanada came early to switch the pocketknives back. He grabbed Yukimura's pocketknife, which Echizen had carelessly left probably in the toolbox, and went down to that room. He switched both out, leaving Yukimura's hidden in the storage. After all, he didn't want any incriminating evidence on him, especially since that was the morning everyone discovered Sakuno's ruined bed. He decided he would retrieve the pocketknife later."

"So that noise we heard that day from that room, while we were investigating, before we ran and crashed into Tezuka and Fuji-"

"-was Sanada switching out the pocketknives. Except he slipped away before we could catch him in the act. Thus, with Yukimura's pocketknife now hidden in that room, which we found this morning, and with Tachibana's in his pocket, Sanada proceeded to return Tachibana's pocketknife-"

"But he never got a chance to because everyone was in mass chaos over discovering Sakuno's destroyed prop."

"Right. Everyone was on high alert, so Sanada became paranoid that everybody's actions would be watched and that any strange behavior would immediately be noted. So, he kept Tachibana's pocketknife on him."

"And because he had it on him, Echizen ended up finding no pocketknife in the toolbox or wherever he placed it, and mistakenly thought perhaps he had already returned it to Tachibana, or Tachibana had picked it up himself from the toolbox or table."

"To which Tachibana became agitated that his precious pocketknife, which his sister had given him, was now missing."

"So that explains Tachibana's nervousness for the rest of the day."

"Correct."

"How…did you figure this all out?"

"I worked backwards."

"Huh?" Bane blinked.

"This morning, when we were secretly watching Tachibana down in the basement, who did he run into?"

"Yukimura. Oh! I see," Bane hit his fist against the palm of his hand. "Tachibana had asked Yukimura what he was doing, and he responded that he was 'just looking'." His eyes lit up. "He was looking for Sanada!"

"Yes, because Sanada had slipped away from his sight to come down here earlier this morning to try to retrieve Yukimura's pocketknife from that hidden room and return it to his captain before he starts to really suspect."

"But then he didn't find it."

"Because we had gotten to it the day before."

Bane lowered his gaze. "Sanada must've suspected then that we were getting close."

"Yes, and that was probably why, unfortunately," Saeki took a deep breath, "he decided to go ahead and attack Tezuka today."

Bane grimaced. "He felt he had nothing to lose by that point."

"That's my guess."

Bane sighed. "Yukimura knew?"

"I do believe he only suspected. I don't think he knew for sure. That morning, right after we found the pocketknife, we witnessed Yukimura and Sanada's conversation. Do you remember?"

"Um, wasn't Yukimura acting strangely?"

"More like he was keeping a tighter leash on Sanada," Saeki said as they now proceeded to walk up the stairs. "He ordered Sanada to accompany him to the sports store. Thus, with Yukimura's watchful eye on him, Sanada wasn't able to return Tachibana's pocketknife or get Yukimura's back."

"And so, Sanada held on to Tachibana's pocketknife the whole time."

"That is right." Saeki took out the pocketknife and observed its smooth surface. "Too bad he used someone else's tool to do disgraceful things." He stuffed it back into his pocket, keeping it safe until it can return to its owner.

"Do you think Yukimura was, in a way, protecting Sanada?"

"Yes, as any captain would when he cares that much for his team. Although, I think after today's incident, it seems like it was for other reasons too."

Bane frowned. He remembered Yukimura's question to Sanada.

_Was I not good enough for you?_

"Man," the tall Rokkaku regular said quietly under his breath. In a way, he could sympathize with Yukimura's feelings. He secretly peered at his friend next to him.

"I think he was trying to prevent Sanada from doing anything potentially harmful or stupid, although still not being sure that Sanada was the one responsible," Saeki continued, still staring straight ahead. "Or rather, not wanting to think that Sanada was the one responsible."

Bane sighed. "What a captain would do for his teammates. Do you think Aoi would do the same for us?"

Saeki thought about it. "I don't think anyone really knows what he would do unless he was put in that situation."

"Do you think Tezuka is going to report all of this to his coach?"

"Like Fuji said, I actually don't think Tezuka will. But who knows?" The image of Tezuka hunched over with his back turned towards them, completely quiet, flashed through his mind. "I think at the moment, he has other things on his mind."

"What about him?"

Saeki noticed Bane motioning his head at Atobe, who was still ahead of them and now on top of the stairs. The Hyotei captain was completely silent, but it was very obvious that he was avoiding the Rokkaku pair by walking this far ahead of them. It seemed as though he didn't want to get close to them. Remembering Atobe's priceless reaction when he accidentally kissed Tezuka, Saeki let out a small chuckle. "He won't say anything. I think he would rather forget what he saw today."

* * *

The Seigaku pair was sitting on a couch in the nicely carpeted room of one of the dressing rooms in the basement. It was a small room, with a makeup table and a mirror surrounded by lightbulbs on one side of the wall. Fuji had taken Tezuka here to allow the traumatized man to recover himself, but still, the Seigaku Buchou continued to avoid the tensai's gaze, looking down and towards the other way, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Tezuka," Fuji said gently. "It's okay. We don't have to worry about the stalker anymore."

Still, Tezuka did not respond.

Fuji frowned. As much as he can understand that Tezuka must've been shocked out of his wits (as he is familiar with Tezuka's reactions from the first time he…took him), he was surprised at how much Tezuka was avoiding him, of all people. "Tezuka?" Fuji asked again slowly. And then, he noticed something. Tezuka seemed to be sitting rather…uncomfortably. Fuji's eyes gazed down. One of Tezuka's hands was pulling down the bottom part of his shirt, stretching it out to…

Cover the top portion of his black pants.

Fuji blinked. And then, it dawned on him why Tezuka was avoiding him. "Tezuka?" He reached out his hand towards the other man's and touched it, seeing in surprise Tezuka turn away from him even more with a jolt.

"It won't go down," Tezuka said in a raspy voice, surprising the tensai. "I…can't get it to go down." He squeezed his legs tighter together, clearly uncomfortable and ashamed. "I'm…sorry."

Fuji froze. He immediately clasped Tezuka's face and turned it towards him, seeing those flushed cheeks and surprised eyes stare wide open at him. "Tezuka," Fuji said with a gentle smile. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't your fault. It was a natural reaction."

Tezuka, completely embarrassed, tried to look away, avoiding the tensai's gaze. He then pushed Fuji away gently, trying to hide himself. The man was clearly flustered, and even extra sensitive to any contact at the moment.

Fuji smiled softly at that head lowered and eyes covered by bangs once more. Slowly, he leaned in and whispered into Tezuka's left ear, "I can make you forget he ever touched you." He saw the man shake at the hot breath against his ear. "Would you like me to?" At not seeing Tezuka respond, the tensai leaned even closer towards that hot cheek and whispered, "I'll take that as a yes." Without warning, he grabbed Tezuka by the arm and tossed him down gently but roughly onto the soft, carpeted ground.

"F-Fuji!" Tezuka cried out, immediately pushing Fuji off of him and scrambling back away from him as he leaned his back against the couch and found the tensai now on all fours crawling towards him.

Fuji positioned himself between Tezuka's now spread out bent legs and touched the crotch of the pants, emitting a cry and shiver from the other man. "It will be painful for you if you leave it like this. I can take care of that for you." Fuji pushed Tezuka's bent knees further apart, leaned down his head, took out the member, and sucked.

Tezuka tossed his head back at the sudden sensation. It was almost too much for him at once, and he nearly came as he began trembling. His groin had been weeping long enough and was crying out for attention, and that was exactly what the tensai was giving it.

Fuji pursed his lips and kissed the tip, bobbing his head up and down. He wasn't going to let Tezuka come so fast. He wanted to do this slowly, meaningfully, and drive the other man wild so that he can erase the latter's mind of what had transpired earlier. Fuji licked and tasted, running his tongue up that shaft as his eyes watched the other man now cover his face with both hands, seemingly distressed. Clearly, Tezuka was still traumatized by today's incident. Fuji teasingly graced his teeth over the tip, watching in satisfaction Tezuka wither and moan out loud.

"Aa…Fuj-" Tezuka hissed at Fuji continuing to grace his teeth over the sensitive skin.

The tensai then retracted himself and began stroking, watching Tezuka trying to catch his breath. "Ne, I'll kiss it as many times as you want me to."

"That's not what I-Hah!" Tezuka threw his head back and cried out in ecstasy, eyes wide open at the feel of Fuji's mouth suddenly giving him one, hard suck. His hands flew to the side and gripped the carpet as he buckled and shot out his essence. He felt Fuji swallow him hungrily, loudly, the tensai smacking his lips and licking and tasting every juice that came out. And then, sighing, Tezuka rested himself with his back against the couch, clearly tired.

Fuji licked his lips and leaned forward, placing a hand gently on that hot face. "See, now you feel better. Now, tell me, where else did he touch you?"

Tezuka tensed, face becoming even more flustered as he looked away and stammered. "…He…over…here." He slowly pointed to his ear.

"Ah, okay," Fuji smiled, leaning in to bite down hard on that ear.

Tezuka's eyes enlarged. "Ouch! Fuji!"

"Ne, Tezuka, I have to remark you." Fuji nibbled and sucked on that ear, watching in satisfaction it begin to bruise as Tezuka struggled underneath him.

"Stop, Fuji."

Fuji licked his ear, chuckling as Tezuka shook. He bit it again, chewing on it playfully before finally pulling back and finding the man beyond flushed. "See, that wasn't so bad. Now, tell me, where else did he touch you?"

Tezuka blushed and said uncomfortably, "Um, can I rinse my mouth first?"

Fuji furrowed his brows, not too happy at finding this out. He immediately grabbed Tezuka by the collar and kissed him hard, sticking his tongue down his throat and devouring him senselessly. Tezuka gasped between the hot kisses, taken back as he felt the other bite his lip playfully before engulfing him passionately even more to lick the inside of his cavern. Saliva was exchanged as tongues wrestled with one another. Finally, the tensai pulled back, allowing the other man to breathe as a thin saliva strand momentarily connected them. "I can rinse your mouth for you further," Fuji offered coyly, tracing his thumb over the other's now swollen bottom lip.

Tezuka's ears turned bright red.

"Now, tell me, where else did he touch you?"

Again, Tezuka was at a loss for words as he avoided the tensai's gaze. "My…hair."

Fuji leaned up and pulled Tezuka's face towards his chest. He cradled that face and snuggled his nose into those locks of hair, kissing the top of his head. He heard Tezuka sip in his breath and begin to relax slowly, albeit very slowly against the tensai's body. "Ne, Tezuka," Fuji stroked those disheveled strands. "Is there any other place he touched you?"

At this, Tezuka suddenly stiffened, and Fuji blinked at this sudden change, not that Tezuka wasn't stiff enough as he is. Blue eyes enlarging, Fuji leaned back and placed both hands firmly down on Tezuka's shoulders. "Tezuka! He didn't…wait, but you were still mostly clothed when I got to you-"

"No, that's not it," Tezuka quickly explained, holding up his hands before Fuji. "It's just that, that…" he looked away.

Fuji dropped his mouth. "Did he touch you back there?"

"Fuji!" Tezuka couldn't believe how candid and straightforward the tensai can be with his questions. "No, not exactly, well…he did, but, it's not what you think-" before the bespectacled man could finish, he found himself pinned to the ground and turned onto his stomach. Caught off guard, he glanced back in shock. "Fuji!"

But the tensai grabbed the hilt of his pants and pulled it down swiftly to his knees.

Tezuka shivered, very embarrassed by his now exposed bottom. "Fuji, we can't do this here-HAH!" Tezuka moaned and fisted his hands against the carpet at the feel of the tensai now licking his entrance. Oh, it felt so good! It was incredible! "Fuji, no, stop, that's dirty!" But Fuji ignored him, and proceeded to stick his tongue inside the pink wetness. Tezuka trembled uncontrollably, struck by how intense the sensation was as Fuji licked him down there. He groaned and moaned beside himself, trying hard not to buckle.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji smiled, kissing the cheeks. "Had that man claimed you here," Fuji stuck in two fingers without warning, emitting a hiss from the other man. "I would have made his life a living hell." The tensai began sliding his fingers in and out, stretching the entrance.

Tezuka whimpered, feeling those fingers brush up against his sensitive spot, and he gasped for breath at his body getting very, very hot. He trembled beside himself, turning his head to the side and frowning at the jolts of pleasure.

"You're so wet already," Fuji remarked. "Your body is so sensitive."

"That's…because…" Tezuka's voice trailed off as the incident from the furnace room returned suddenly, distressing him.

"No, you're this sensitive because I'm touching you right now," Fuji said, reading his mind.

And then, the fingers pulled out, and Tezuka breathed out a sigh of relief. But the bespectacled man wasn't given enough time to relax, and he cried out as Fuji began sliding himself inside him, having already unbuckled his own pants. Tezuka held his breath and finally let it out as he felt full, very full, while a hand gently graced his cheeks affectionately. He felt Fuji lean over his back towards his ear. "You will remember me doing this to you, in this position, in this room." Fuji pulled out slightly and thrust forward hard, emitting a cry from Tezuka. He thrust and thrust and thrust, biting Tezuka's ear and whispering sweet loving words into him. "Only I can touch you here." Fuji smiled, kissing his neck and enjoying the cries of pleasure pouring out of the other man as he pounded into him and began stroking his member immediately. "Only I can make you feel this way, Kunimitsu."

Fuji made sweet love to Tezuka, pleasuring him endlessly until the other man was covered and filled with the other man's sweat and essence. The tensai devoured the bespectacled man hungrily, marking his skin in some of the most embarrassing places and groping and stroking and massaging his groin. He made Tezuka come again and again, not allowing him to rest as he constantly made love to him. The bespectalced man continued to let out erotic moans and groans as Fuji's talented ministrations drove him mad. At one point, Fuji turned Tezuka onto his back in a missionary position and swayed his hips against the other's, staring into those deep brown orbs purposefully as he said, "Keep your eyes open, Tezuka. I want you to watch me as I make love to you." Tezuka blushed, finding this awkward, but nevertheless he complied, and he wrapped his arms around the tensai as Fuji thrust, and thrust, and thrust into him. The bespectacled man moaned louder, unable to supress his voice as his prostate was strucked repeatedly until he was unable to think of anything else. All he saw was Fuji's eyes, Fuji's kind blue eyes that looked at him so kindly and lovingly and affectionately, and all he felt was the other man's love and touches and the intense pleasures being showered upon him.

The two lost track of time, for time didn't matter at that moment. And finally, as Fuji gave a final hard thrust into Tezuka, the latter immediately arched his back, mouth wide open with a cry as he shook violently and climaxed, spewing more of his juices out onto himself and the other man's. At the same time, Fuji grunted and gasped at Tezuka's tense muscles clenched tightly around his length, and he shivered and released his load into this very man, claiming him again for another countless time.

The two collapsed, gasping heavily for breath. They still had their clothes on, although their clothes were now unwearble for public display. Fuji sat up, running his hand through his hair as he stared in satisfaction at the completely drained Buchou lying before him, face basking in an afterglow. The other man literally looked like he was devoured hard by his lover, and he continued panting as he waited for his body to cool down.

Tezuka opened his eyes, dizzy from all the orgasms as his body felt warm. He doesn't quite recall ever having this many orgasms in such short period of time. He felt Fuji lift up his hand and bring it to his lips. Body now beginning to relax, Tezuka closed his eyes, lost in the echoes of the last climax when he suddenly felt something cool slip over his fourth finger. Eyes shooting wide open, he sat halfway up to see what it was when he suddenly froze and stared in shock at his hand.

On his fourth finger was a familiar silver band that glistened beautifully from the light in the room. "Fuji, that…impossible! They were…weren't they…they fell into the furnace!"

Fuji chuckled and kissed Tezuka's hand before clasping his fingers over long ones, revealing also the silver band on his own fourth finger.

Tezuka's mouth fell ajar as he stared at their hands, unable to believe his eyes.

"Tezuka, I was going to propose to you at the interschool festival too," Fuji giggled. "You got your rings from Inui, didn't you?"

The bespectacled man stiffened, face turning red.

"I figured that must be the case. I got mine from him too. I was so surprised when I heard you say earlier that you got rings for us." Fuji kissed his hand. "I would have never expected that from someone as stoic and romantically clueless as you. It made me very happy." Fuji leaned forward and left a butterfly kiss on Tezuka's still half gaping mouth. "Ne, don't you find it funny that both of us bought rings for each other, and from the same person?"

Tezuka blinked.

"It was meant to be, Kunimitsu," Fuji smiled, pushing Tezuka back to the ground and snuggling against him while both hands remained entwined together. Bright, blue orbs gazed lovingly into deep brown ones, never wanting this time to end.

Tezuka closed his mouth, staring back still in disbelief. And then, softening his gaze, he let out a small smile.

"Aa, Shuusuke."

* * *

...

...

**There is one more chapter, and then an epilogue!**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Thursday was the last day to finalize preparations for the interschool festival. Mass chaos overtook Seigaku as students rushed to complete last minute tasks, as well as booth and classroom decorations. The hallways were filled with obstacle courses consisting of teachers, students, coaches, the school staff, and student council members. It was one of the busiest times in Seigaku's history. Every corner and every inch of the building consisted of chaotic activities, and the large auditorium was no different.

"Echizen! I need that hammer! Where is it?" Momoshiro bellowed out across the stage.

"I gave it to you already!"

"Oi, no you didn't!" The second year's eyes drifted to the corner as he checked to make sure that he really didn't have it. "Tsk, why did this nail have to pop out at the last minute," he mumbled as he picked up the hammer, which turned out to be behind him, and proceeded to pound the nail back into what was supposed to be a finished prop.

"Everyone in the backstage crew, listen up!" Tomoka bellowed into the megaphone. "Move your stuff towards the back! We are about to start a full run through of the play."

"But we're not finished with everything yet!" a student protested from the stage.

"Then hurry up and finish it in the back! We need everything set up later to do a final run through after lunch." Tomoka sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She grumbled quietly about how the boys were so slow with the props, given that the girls' tennis team were already all done with the costumes, and just needed to double check everything. She couldn't wait for all of this to be over. She hadn't realized how tough it was to be a director. Blinking, she noticed her friend sitting on the stage in the corner, sewing furiously a long, beautiful bed sheet. She raised her megaphone and called out, "Sakuno-chan, gomen, but you guys need to move more towards the corner so that we can do our run through."

"H-hai!" Sakuno called back out as she turned to her side. "Um, Sanada-senpai, we need to move towards the left."

The dark-haired male, who had just tugged on a thread frustratingly on the bed sheet, looked at her. "Aa?"

"Oh no! You're doing it wrong! You made the pattern crooked here!" the young first year suddenly exclaimed as she pointed at the edge of the cloth.

The Rikkaidai man, who doesn't like to be talked to in such a manner, bellowed, "Oi! I'm trying my best here-" he immediately stopped at the sight of frightening, dark blue eyes that flashed at him immediately from a few feet away. Shivering at the silent aura surrounding his captain, Sanada quickly said, "I-I'll fix it!"

"Huh? Oh, okay," Sakuno beamed.

Sanada immediately proceeded to tug out the crooked threads when he heard snickering behind him.

"Ne, I didn't know Sanada can sew," Niou whispered with a smirk to his red-headed teammate.

"Yea, but it looks like he's a little tied up right now!" Marui joked.

The two broke into hard laughter, doubling over themselves while their vice-captain felt a vein pop on the side of his forehead as he proceeded to tug on the thread furiously before continuing to sew at lightning speed.

Meanwhile, a couple feet away, Saeki and Bane watched the sight unfold before them.

"Hey, I have to say, it is kind of weird to see Sanada sew," Bane remarked.

"Not to mention creepy," Saeki added as he watched the dark-haired male help Sakuno move the bed sheets to the side before continuing to stick a thread through a needle. "Serves him right though." His eyes flickered at something on the grumpy man's face. "Interesting…"

"Sanada-senpai," Sakuno turned to the man next to her again. "Why do you have this gauze on your face?"

"Hm?" Instinctively, the dark-haired male felt his right cheek, where a white gauze was bandaged to his cheek. "Aa, it was a tennis practice accident."

"Huh? That can happen in tennis?"

"I said it was an accident!" Sanada snapped, and then seeing everyone stare at him for a moment for his outburst, the vice-captain's cheeks became flustered before he lowered his gaze and quickly worked furiously at the sewing.

"Sanada-senpai. Can you go get another pair of scissors for me?"

"What? Why?"

"This part of the sheet is too long, so I need to cut it."

Sanada's eyes enlarged. "Oi! That's the part I worked on! Do you know how long it took me to sew that part?"

"Gomenasai! But see how this fold is longer than the other side? It has to be even."

"You-!" Sanada stopped mid-sentence at the feel of sharp dark blue daggers paralyzing him from the back. "I…will go get it," he stammered, getting onto his feet before stumbling a bit and even limping towards the table where the tools were.

Saeki raised a brow as he folded his arms. "Dare I ask what the Rikkaidai captain did to him last night?" The Rokkaku pair watched in amusement as Sanada reached the table with his hands out to support himself as he gasped and rested for a moment.

"Ne, we're about to start."

The two regulars turned to find the beaming face of the tensai behind them.

"Ah, Fuji. I heard that the girls were giggling earlier this morning when they had you try on Juliet's costume," Saeki chuckled.

"Hm, they did a good job on the costumes," Fuji smiled as he let out a small laugh. "Although, it was kind of scary being alone in a room with that many women."

"By the way, where's Tezuka?" Bane asked.

"He's checking on all the clubs with the rest of the student council members."

"Today is going to be the craziest day of his life, no?" Saeki smirked.

Fuji chuckled. "Hm, I think he's going to be super stressed today."

* * *

Tezuka collapsed onto the couch in the student council room as lunch began. Lying on his back with arm thrown over his forehead, he stared up at the ceiling, taking in a deep breath at this morning's chaos. Apparently, a lot of things liked to go wrong at the last minute. One of the students had accidentally knocked down a pedestal holding up their decorative booth. Another had issues with not getting enough supplies for the café they were hosting in one of the classrooms. The worst was the computer club launching a vicious accusation against the literature club, claiming that the literature club's president had stolen one of their newest computers in a so-called friendly competition. Tezuka had his suspicions that it was a bet, which was not allowed in the school.

Speaking of bets…

Tezuka let out another sigh as he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. Yesterday's events still had him slightly rattled, and the student council president was eager to move on from the whole thing. Breathing out, he closed his eyes for a minute before opening them and putting on his glasses. As his hand released the spectacles, a certain shiny object came into clear view. He spread out his hand and gazed at the silver ring that shimmered gracefully against the ceiling lights of the room. As his eyes stared into their own small reflection against the surface of the ring, the bespectacled man's heart filled with calm warmth that made him temporarily forget the unfortunate incident from yesterday, only serving to remind him of Fuji's words to him as the tensai kissed the back of his hand and then his lips.

_Ne, don't you find it funny that both of us bought rings for each other, and from the same person?_

There was a knock on the door, waking Tezuka up from his trance. Getting up from the couch, Tezuka went to the door and opened it, finding in surprise Inui standing on the other side.

"Aa, Inui."

"Tezuka," the data collector smiled, adjusting his glasses.

"I was expecting to talk to you after lunch."

"Gomen. Would you like me to come back later?"

"No, that is fine. Please, come in."

The data collector entered the student council room as Tezuka shut the door behind him.

"Ah, the student council room is very interesting. Rarely do I get to come in here," Inui noted as he admired the simple setup and large tape on the side near the wall. "This will make for some interesting data."

"Inui," Tezuka coughed.

"Ah, yes, Tezuka," the taller man turned around with a smile as he faced his captain.

Tezuka paused for a moment, searching for the right words before finally saying, "I want to thank you."

"Hm?"

"For everything. For your help on this whole thing for the past two weeks, and especially for helping me…and Fuji."

"Ah, I see," Inui smiled widely at the stern, serious man. "I see that you are wearing the ring that I had made for you two."

"Aa."

"And from what I can see, you had figured out that the both of you had asked for the same thing."

"Aa."

"Who is wearing which?"

"Unfortunately, the ones I had had disappeared into the fire."

"Fire?"

"Nevermind. My apologies for that. But the one I am wearing is from Fuji."

Inui nodded. "I understand."

"But, I just wanted to let you know that, well…thank you."

Inui grinned again. "It was my pleasure. I had collected some interesting data on you this past two weeks-"

"Inui."

"I guess I'll be going now." Inui began to head towards the door. "Don't overstress yourself today, Tezuka. You still need to enjoy the festival."

"Aa."

And with that said, the data collector left and closed the door behind him.

The room was silent once more as Tezuka stared at the door, watching the shadows of students passing by in hurried paces. He lifted up his hand and stared at the ring once more.

* * *

The day of the festival finally arrived, and Seigaku began with a big welcome to all the attendees as the school opened its gates to a fun-filled event. Music and decorations dominated the place as everyone bustled their way through to the different booths and cafes. There were mini-games to be played, goldfishes to win, and delicious snacks, food, and drinks to try. New friends were made as the students got to know others from the different schools participating in the event. But amidst all the fun, the student councils from all the different schools were secretly stressed more so than ever. For Seigaku, the vice-president and secretary were rushing to grab last minute supplies to help a club fix their booth, which now slanted sideways from a splintered piece of wood. The treasurer was rushing to find out why the computer club's other new laptop had gone missing right before their video game tournament event. And the student council president, the one who is the most stressed of them all, had to deal with countless calls from his members calling him to ask for solutions to problems that had suddenly occurred all at once.

Tezuka's cell was ringing off the hook as he ran back and forth simultaneously to attend to other matters at hand. Never letting his guard down, the serious and well disciplined student council president could not get a break from it all. He ran up the stairs, entering a classroom where the beautiful maids café was being hosted. There, a first year informed him that one of the council members had promised to bring the bananas they were missing for their dessert item, and so far said council member had not returned. Tezuka could only guess that his peer must have encountered another issue and was currently dealing with that. Thus, the bespectacled third year, like the responsible model student he is, ran to the cafeteria to one of the workers there and asked for a stack of bananas. Later, Tezuka had to deal with a call from his vice-president, who was currently in an argument with the literature club's president over why said club had the computer club's laptop. Shortly after that, the poor bespectacled man had to deal with a complaint from another club over a flaky member who didn't come dressed in the proper attire as agreed for their host café.

Tezuka felt as though their two weeks of preparations were for them to deal with a living nightmare. It wasn't until around two did Tezuka finally have the chance to sneak away into the student council room to rest, where a few of his fellow peers, as well as other student council presidents, had already collapsed onto the ground and the couch.

* * *

Fuji glanced around the rows of booths as he strolled past them, eyes wondering around over the crowd.

"Ne, Fujiko, at least try to enjoy yourself," Kikumaru frowned. "You've been so preoccupied for the past few hours."

"Gomen," Fuji smiled friendly at his redheaded friend. "It's just that, I haven't seen Tezuka since we walked to school this morning."

"Hm, but that's to be expected. I can only imagine that a lot of things probably went wrong the minute the festival started, except no one knows about it."

"True," Fuji chuckled. "But," he let out a sigh, "I was really looking forward to today." The tensai had expected a romantic date with just the two of them, doing the cute things that other couples do at a school festival like this – playing fun games, winning prizes for each other, trying out the different food stands – it was something Fuji had been waiting to do for a while, and this was now the opportunity to do it.

Except, the bespectacled Buchou was nowhere in sight.

Fuji bemoaned his current situation. Tezuka did tell him ahead of time that he would not be able to see him until the school play that evening, but still, the tensai had a small shred of hope that he would be able to run into the serious third year at least once in the day. Perhaps he can even steal a kiss.

"Cheer up, Fujiko. Look! Those takoyakis look so good! Want to share?"

Fuji nodded. "Okay."

As the two continued strolling with takoyakis in their mouths now, Fuji asked, "Hey, Eiji."

"Hm?"

"It looks like you and Oishi are good now?"

At this unexpected question, the acrobatic boy turned as red as his hair as he looked away. "Yea…"

Fuji chuckled at this cute response. "And…anything else?"

Kikumaru blushed a little before finally blurting out, "Fuji! It hurt!"

"Huh?" Fuji blinked, confused.

"The first time, it hurt! Oishi did such a bad job!"

Realizing what his friend was actually talking about, Fuji did not make an effort to hide his surprise. "You mean…you two-"

"I mean, he was bad at preparing me. But after that, it was…" Kikumaru glanced away, his ears getting even redder. "It felt…really good."

Fuji gaped before breaking out into laughter.

"Ne, what's so funny?"

"Nothing," the tensai wiped a tear from his eye. "It's just that, well, I didn't expect this all of a sudden. But, I'm glad that you're happy now."

Kikumaru blinked before breaking out into a smile. "Hm, I agree." His eye caught sight of something. "Ne, look! That's Inui's booth!"

The two stopped right in front to see the sign for "Inui's Special Juice." In small letters was the subtitle, "You will never forget the taste!"

"No kidding," the redhead grimaced. "Is Inui even allowed to sell his drinks? I thought Tezuka forbade him from doing so."

"Perhaps Tezuka doesn't know given that he's so busy right now," Fuji said, rubbing his chin as he looked at the menu. "Hm, that green power-up juice looks interesting. I wonder if it has wasabi in it."

"Ew, that's gross!"

"Hello, you two," Inui greeted them at the booth. "Would you like to try this new clear crystal clear juice I have created?" The data collector held up a transparent plastic cup of what looked like clear liquid.

The other two Seigaku regulars leaned in to eye the drink closely.

"Hm, that looks too suspicious," Kikumaru wrinkled his nose. "It looks normal, but who knows what you put in it!"

"Oh, don't worry," Inui said as a small glint flashed across his glasses. "It's sure to be good for you." He smiled widely.

"I don't trust you," Kikumaru folded his arms.

"It's free," Inui persuaded.

"I get enough of your _free_ drinks from tennis practice!"

"Inui, I'll try it," Fuji offered. He took the drink and began gulping half of it down.

Kikumaru watched his friend carefully. "Ne, but nothing ever effects you. How does it taste?"

Fuji sighed with a smile. "Tastes just like…water."

"Huh?" Kikumaru blinked. "You're lying!"

"No, I'm serious," Fuji chuckled. "It tastes just like water."

"Impossible! Inui, were you trying to trick us?"

Inui held up his hands. "I can assure you it's not water."

"Then let me try!" Kikumaru took the cup from Fuji's hand and drank some. He swished the liquid around in his mouth before swallowing. "Ne, it is water!"

At this, Inui took the cup as well and also took a sip. He stared at it, rubbing his chin. "Hm, strange. This doesn't seem like the drink that I prepared. Did I grab the wrong cooler?"

* * *

When it was an hour to six, some of the attendees at the festival began to file in to the auditorium to grab good seats early for the most popular event of the day: the school play.

Behind the curtains, crew members rushed to make sure all props were in place and ready to go as the costume designers helped dress the actors and put makeup on them.

"Hurry everyone, we have less than an hour before the play starts! We need to start right on time!" Tomoka called out to everyone.

"Tomo-chan, I am so proud of you for directing this play," the girls' tennis team captain patted her on the back. "I have no doubt that this play will be amazing, especially with all the hard work you and everyone else put into this."

Tomoka stood proudly at this compliment. "Thank you, Buchou!"

"Echizen, help me grab this," Momoshiro called out in a strained voice as he lifted up something heavy.

"Momo-senpai."

"What is it, Echizen?"

"I'm not looking forward to tennis practice next week."

At the reminder of their punishment, the two of them sighed heavily.

"Echizen, why did you have to remind me..."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, the student council president stood firmly in place, arms folded as he made sure that everything was running smoothly. He was relieved to finally make it through at least half of the day. The play was honestly the last of his worries, given that he put a lot of trust in Tomoka's leadership. He was very impressed with how well the first year was able to lead everyone in the play. He was very much looking forward to watching it too. It would give him a chance to rest more.

"Tezuka."

At the sound of that familiar voice, the bespectacled regular turned around before nearly dropping his mouth in a silent gasp. Standing before him was not Fuji, but a beautiful young woman with long, wavy honey brown hair, large mesmerizing eyes, and an ornate Renaissance gown. Tezuka nearly found himself stumbling back from the shock. It sure sounded like Fuji, but, was this really Fuji?

"Tezuka," the individual purred. "What is it? Do you find me…pretty right now?"

Tezuka coughed into his hand as he avoided eye contact. "I didn't exactly expect this, nor did I condone this."

"Oh, come on!" Fuji yelled at him, breaking into frustration as his womanly grace was temporarily ruined. "Is that all you can say?"

Tezuka sighed. He looked straight into the tensai's crystal, blue eyes. "You…look beautiful."

At this, Fuji blushed slightly before beaming once more. "That's better." He twirled around, admiring his costume. "Ne, they did a good job, did they not?" He flipped a few strands of his hair back. "Although this wig is kind of itchy."

Tezuka's eyes noted the attention Fuji was currently receiving as a few of the male regulars passing by began to blush at the sight of the tensai. The bespectacled man immediately shot a death glare at each and every one of them, causing said individuals to jump and quickly scatter away.

"Ne, isn't Fuji-senpai beautiful?" Tomoka giggled as she walked up to them. "The girls did such a great job with him! Oh, I love how they did your mascara and eye shadow."

"Tomo-chan!"

The first year turned around to find Sakuno calling for her. "Tomo-chan, I need your help with something!"

"Hai!" Tomoka faced the other two Seigaku regulars. "I have to go. Get ready, Fuji-senpai! We'll start the play soon!"

As the first year scurried off, Fuji and Tezuka returned their attention to each other.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji said flirtatiously again, inching closer towards the serious, stern man who was failing to hide the small blush on his cheek. "I haven't seen you all day."

"Aa, my apologies."

"To make it up to me," Fuji placed a finger on his chin playfully as he batted his lashes, "how about you give me a kiss right now?"

"Fuji!"

"Shh!" Fuji stepped forward even closer, leaning up to him. "Don't worry, everyone is too busy right now. No one will see."

Tezuka looked at him suspiciously, finding himself wavering at those beautiful, blue enchanting eyes half hidden beneath those thick lashes. He glanced slowly to his left, and then he glanced slowly to his right. Turning back to face the tensai, he sighed and said, "Aa, but just a quick one."

Fuji's eyes immediately glittered in delight, and he tiptoed in his heels, puckering his lips expectantly.

Tezuka hesitated for a second before placing both hands on those slim shoulders, leaning in slowly.

"Tezuka!"

The bespectacled man's eyes shot wide open as he pushed Fuji back and turned with a flustered face. "Aa!"

"Tezuka!" Oishi ran up to him. "One of the crew members cut his finger earlier when he was trying to adjust one of the props, but we can't find the first aid kit anywhere. Can you help me look for it?"

"Aa, I understand," Tezuka said, releasing his hands off Fuji's shoulders and promptly following the vice-captain.

Fuji stood there in the middle, now left alone.

"Oi, Fuji-senpai? Why are you just standing there?" Momoshiro asked friendly, walking over to him. "Did you need help with something-" At that moment, the second year froze on the spot, mouth half open in mid-sentence as he watched a blue aura envelope the beautiful "girl" in front of him.

"Tezuka…you're so cruel…" Fuji said with a twisted smile, blue eyes no longer glittering with that graceful light.

"F-F-F-Fuji-senpai! Um, I'll just leave you alone now." Momoshiro said in a cracked, high-pitched voice as he began to slowly back away from the strange aura surrounding his teammate.

Meanwhile, a group of girls nearby were sighing and giggling as they gathered around a certain actor near the center of the stage.

"Atobe-senpai, you look magnificent!"

"Atobe-senpai, this costume is perfect on you!"

"Atobe-senpai, you make the perfect Romeo!"

Atobe Keigo stood there proudly as he did a curtsy and bowed before the girls' tennis team. "My magnificent may be great, and perhaps I am the perfect Romeo, but of course that was all made possible by your hard work. Let Ore-sama show his appreciation to you all."

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

Niou and Marui clasped their ears at the high-pitched squeals.

"I can't tell what's more annoying-Atobe's vomit-induced personality or the girl's screams," Niou cried out over the noise.

The rest of the actors and crew prepared themselves as people continued to pile into the auditorium. By fifteen minutes to show time, the seats were completely filled, and everyone was excited for the play the different tennis teams had collaborated on.

Atobe cleared his throat as he stood on the side of the stage, checking himself. "Kabaji!"

"Usu!" The large male immediately arrived right next to his captain.

"Please get me some water."

"Usu!"

The Hyotei regular immediately went to the table where the cooler was. He grabbed a paper cup and pressed on the knob when only two drops fell into the cup. Frowning, he glanced around for another cooler when he found one tucked away near the very corner behind the stage and away from the lights.

"Hm, it's going to start soon. I'm starting to feel nervous," Tomoka said, frowning at her watch.

"Don't worry, Tomo-chan. Everything will be fine," her captain reassured her.

"I know. I just want everything to be perfect."

"Everything is as perfect as can be. Even the bed that Sakuno-chan made is finished! I was surprised that she was able to complete it given what had happened. But then, she did get help from Fuji and that Rikkaidai vice-captain."

"Hm, true." Tomoka sighed, smiling. "I guess I'll do one more check around before the play starts."

"Oh dear, this costume is much too hot for me!" The Seigaku tennis coach fanned herself furiously in Juliet's nurse's wardrobe. "Couldn't you girls not have given me something less...covered?"

At hearing that suggestion, a few of the males passing by made a face.

"Kabaji!" Atobe called out.

"Usu," the large man finally returned, handing the cup to Atobe.

"Ore-sama doesn't drink out of paper cups. But I see that we have no time." He immediately gulped down the drink before letting out a sigh. "Hm, interesting. This tastes…different. Hm, is this really water?" He eyed the drink closely. "It tastes really odd. It's almost like-"

Kabaji blinked. He watched as his captain continued mouthing silently away.

"Okay, places everyone!" Tomoka bellowed into the megaphone. "We're going to begin really soon! You, stand over here. You over there, please stand on the side. And-"

"Stop."

Tomoka nearly jumped at the strangely faint, raspy voice. She turned around to find the Hyotei captain marching towards her, his arms flaying around wildly. "Atobe-senpai, what is it?"

The man proceeded to let out small grunts and bits and pieces of words as he mouthed off excitedly.

"Atobe, what? I can't hear what you're saying. You're going to have to talk louder. Quiet everyone!" She ordered through the megaphone. But even when everyone became silent, all she could hear were squeaks and a raspy—

Oh no.

"What? You lost your voice? How did this happen!" Tomoka exclaimed.

"I drank…" Atobe whispered, trying hard to cry out. "I drank…" he pointed at the cup in Kabaji's hand.

"Ne, Kabaji," Kikumaru stepped forward. "Where did you get the drink from?"

Kabaji scratched his head with a frown before pointing at the cooler in the back.

"Huh? I didn't know we had a cooler back there-" Suddenly, the redhead's eyes enlarged at a startling realization. "Oh no."

"Ne, did Inui grab the wrong cooler?" Fuji stepped forward as well, finding in amusement a silent Atobe screaming at everyone with no words coming out of his mouth. "So if this afternoon, the drink we got was just water…"

"You mean, Atobe drank Inui's juice?" Momoshiro dropped his mouth as he eyed the strange cooler hidden in the back.

"No, this isn't happening!" Tomoka shook her head, her hands pulling on her pigtails. "You can't lose your voice right before the start of the play! You're the main star!"

Atobe screamed silently in one of the worst frustrations ever as his brows furrowed angrily at the situation.

The actors began looking at each other nervously.

"What are we going to do? The play can't go on without Atobe!" Ann said.

"This is bad!" Kamio lamented.

"We're not going to cancel the play, are we?" Niou chimed in, disappointed. "I worked really hard on my part! Oi, maybe Atobe will be able to speak in five minutes." Niou walked over to the Hyotei man and gave him a couple hard pats on the back, further angering the man. "Maybe we can make him throw up the drink."

"That's not going to work," Yagyuu noted. "The drink's unfortunate effects have already set in."

"Calm down, we're not cancelling the play," Tomoka quickly tried to diffuse the tension as everyone began talking amongst themselves.

"Then what are we going to do?" One of the crew members demanded.

"I have an idea."

Everyone turned at the voice of the beautiful young "girl" standing in the middle of the stage.

Fuji smiled. "Don't worry. We have a backup."

* * *

The clock struck six, and everyone in the audience began applauding as the auditorium's lights darkened, leaving only the stage lights on. Out stepped the principal of the school, who took the center of the stage with a microphone in hand.

"Welcome, everyone, to the interschool festival play. I want to take this time to also extend a warm welcome to those arriving from other schools. It is an honor for Seigaku to be able to work together with so many talented individuals from other districts-"

As the principal delivered his speech, Tomoka peered apprehensively from behind the curtains at the crowd. "Wow, so many people. It really is a full house."

"-and so, unfortunately, even though one of the actors listed in the program will not be able to perform, we will be having someone else take his place. As the saying goes, the show must go on! And now, without further ado, we present to you, the play you all have been waiting for, 'Romeo and Juliet.'"

The auditorium erupted into loud applause and cheers as the principal stepped off the stage and the curtains were raised.

The opening began with the famous prologue before the also famous confrontation between the two households. The crowd watched in awe, eagerness and excitement as their fellow peers, especially the popular ones, took the stage.

"Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?"

"Is the law of our side, if I say ay?"

The girls in the audience sighed at the handsomeness of the performers in their perfect costumes.

The scene played out its course until the actors for Montague and Benvolio (played by Oshitari and Jirou) arrived on stage. Everyone in the audience held their breaths in anticipation for the entrance of one of the main stars of the play.

Finally, Oshitari stepped off stage as Jirou turned to face the edge and held out his hand, heart beating rapidly. "Good-morrow, cousin."

Silence.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps walking steadily, further increasing the anticipation before the individual appeared before the audience. Immediately, the crowd broke into loud cheers. Girls swooned and shrieked in delight. Men raised eyebrows in surprise and admiration. The audience fell into a fit of excitement, for standing on stage was Seigaku's tall, bespectacled student council president dressed in a full renaissance costume that further pronounced his elegant and respectable features.

"Ne, so Tezuka-senpai is playing Romeo?" one of the girls giggled to her friend in the front row.

"I'm so glad I came early to grab good seats!"

"Oh, Tezuka Kaichou looks so handsome!"

The girls cheered even louder before the audience finally tamed themselves to let the play go on.

Meanwhile, on stage, Jirou beamed at the sight of the man before him.

"Is the day so young?" Tezuka asked in his deep voice, further making the girls swoon.

"But new struck nine." Jirou replied.

They exchanged a few more lines.

"What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?" Jirou asked.

"Not having that, which, having, makes them short." Tezuka responded.

Jirou smiled. "In love?"

At this, the girls shrieked loudly once more.

"Tezuka, we love you!"

"Tezuka, are you in love with me?"

"Shhh!" A few of the teachers warned the students as everyone quieted down.

"Out." Tezuka said.

"Of love?" Jirou gasped.

"Out of her favor, where I am in love."

"AWWWWWWW." The girls cried out all at once from the audience, earning more shh's from the teachers.

Jirou continued on stage, enjoying this moment to act with such a handsome man. "Alas, that love, so gentle in his view, Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof."

Tezuka took a deep breath. "Alas, that love, whose view is muffled still, Should, without eyes, see pathways to his will. Where shall we dine. O me. What fray was here. Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all. Here's much to do with hate, but more with love. Why, then, O brawling love. O loving hate. O any thing, of nothing first create. O heavy lightness. serious vanity. Mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms. Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health. Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is. This love feel I, that feel no love in this. Dost thou not laugh?"

The auditorium was motionless.

The audience fell silent as a cold air passed by them. Jirou stood frozen on the spot, speechless and wide-eyed with his hand held up in midair. Momoshiro, Echizen, and the whole stage crew gaped, blinking as their bodies remained still. Atobe, Saeki, Bane, and the rest of the actors stared, their minds slowly taking in everything they had just witnessed. Tomoka fainted backwards with a sigh, her captain catching her in the nick of time before she could hit the surface.

Tezuka had managed to deliver a beautiful line in the driest, most boring, most monotonous manner ever in the history of stage performance for "Romeo and Juliet."

Jirou, swallowing the dry lump in his throat, struggled with himself as he finally cited his next line, "No, coz, I rather weep."

And that was exactly how the majority of those in the play felt.

* * *

For the rest of the play, Tomoka wanted to bang her head against the stage floor. Everyone's performances were perfect, but the moment that "Romeo" appeared, everything went downhill. Yes, Tezuka knew almost every line for his part, but he continued to deliver them in the same serious, monotonous, stern manner that was so innate in him. Tomoka could have sworn she even heard Tezuka say, "Don't let your guard down," somewhere in the middle of the play.

Meanwhile, Atobe continuously slapped his forehead against the palm of his hand as he watched this disaster unfold.

But one of the highlights in the play was that Fuji's presence helped ease Tezuka's horrible performance, for every time the tensai appeared (much to the delight of the females in the audience, and even the males), Tezuka's acting became more bearable. The tensai was able to draw out a certain spark in the man, and the audience found themselves enjoying the love scenes as Romeo wooed Juliet (although in Tomoka's eyes, it looked more like Juliet was wooing Romeo). The balcony scene, unfortunately, could not be salvaged, and nearly became a joke every time Tezuka spoke in his stiff performance, his strong grip nearly tearing off part of the balcony prop as he struggled to climb.

The famous bed scene was also quite awkward, for Tezuka now found himself acting in the very scene he had originally protested against having in the play. This reluctance further worsened his acting. At least Sakuno's bed prop was enough to distract the audience, who were very impressed by the setup and stage props.

The play continued, and the females continued to giggle amongst themselves at how good looking many of the tennis regulars were, especially in their costumes. Yukimura (who played Paris) was another who drew just as much attention as Fuji and Tezuka. His graceful mannerisms and gentlemanly presence nearly made every girl in the auditorium faint, especially in his scenes with Fuji. The audience felt that it was such an honor to see the two most beautiful people act together on stage. A few of the males in the seats, however, began questioning their sexual orientation every time Fuji beamed with those thick eyelashes and long, wavy hair.

And then, the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet was about to make its debut, and the audience members held their breaths, with a few of them preparing themselves for tears. Meanwhile, Romeo's fight with Paris suddenly saw a huge improvement in Tezuka's acting. Apparently, when it comes to anything confrontational or something akin to competitiveness, Tezuka suddenly knew how to act.

Meanwhile, Tomoka peered reluctantly from the curtains on the side, trying to steady herself as her eye twitched. The first year wanted to cry in horror at the damage already done to the play.

Back to the fight scene, Yukimura fell on the stage, slained as the girls bemoaned the beautiful man's demise. With the last few exchange of words between Romeo and Paris, Romeo finally stood over Juliet's body on the cold stone platform in the center of the stage. Some sniffles could be heard as they watched the man look into the silent face of his lover.

"Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide. Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark. Here's to my love!"

Tezuka took out the bottle in his pocket and drank, not hearing the loud gasp in the audience.

"O true apothecary. Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die."

Tezuka leaned over the beautiful Juliet, slowly bringing himself closer. He stared at the elegant features of the individual beneath him, those loose strands of hair framing his face perfectly. Softening, he prepared to give a small peck on the cheek.

The audience members held their breaths, the girls all sitting on the edge of their seats in excited anticipation as their hearts beat rapidly against their chests. A few of the first years found their cheeks blushing as the males in the seats also leaned forward at the scene unfolding before them.

Tezuka's lids fell half closed as he drew in closer, and closer, and closer, steadily bringing himself down until his face was just a few inches away from that quiet, graceful figure.

Suddenly, two hands shot up in lightning speed and wrapped around him, pulling him down in one fast swoop until his lips crashed right into the other's.

Tezuka's eyes flew wide open, his hands and arms now struggling frantically to push himself back up as he felt those arms clasp tightly around him, bringing him down further until his lips pressed up even harder against the other's while everyone in the auditorium dropped their mouths and gaped in shock and silence.

* * *

**...**

**...**

**This chapter actually ended up being rather long, so I broke it up into two parts. Ch. 27 will be up soon, and then a short epilogue!**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Tezuka stomped through an aisle of festival booths, his hands balled up into fists as he felt a nerve ready to pop.

"Ne, gomen, Tezuka."

"I can't believe you did that!" Tezuka bellowed as he continued to march ahead of the tensai, who tried to catch up to him. It was now evening, and the interschool festival was bustling with joyous activity once more after the play. Everyone quickly rushed to booths selling food or cafes serving dinner and desserts.

"Don't be mad, Tezuka," Fuji called out, finally catching up to him. "If anything, in everyone's eyes, Romeo kissed a girl."

"Fuji!" Tezuka whirled around with his face flushed, stopping to meet the tensai, who nearly ran right into him. "The whole school saw!"

"But we were acting!"

"You were NOT acting!"

"Boo," Fuji pouted. "I only wanted a kiss from you, which you had denied me the whole day."

"I told you I was busy! Could you not have waited until tonight?"

Fuji shifted his feet around, looking away, slightly ashamed (or appearing to at least). "But at least the play was good."

Tezuka wasn't so sure of that. After the play was over, Tomoka had to be dragged from her distressed state onto stage to receive a standing ovation from the audience for directing the play. Just a moment before, the poor first year was found twitching in the back behind the curtains, her mind totally lost in an unreachable place as she mumbled jumbled words about her perfect play becoming a disaster.

The bespectacled man pinched the bridge of his nose. He wished he hadn't been dragged into this, but he was the only one who knew the majority of Romeo's lines given all the times he had helped Fuji practice. In his defense, he was practically thrown onto the spot as the costume designers quickly dressed him in Atobe's Romeo costume, giving him little time to prepare himself. Although, he felt he did try his best. Unfortunately, acting was not his forte, and he couldn't help but feel that not only had he failed the play, but he had managed to turn it into one of the biggest jokes in the history of Romeo and Juliet.

"Ne, it's not your fault," Fuji chuckled, reading his mind. "At least it made for a good laugh."

"That was not the point of the play!" Tezuka scolded, furrowing his brows. "And not only that, but now the whole school knows!"

"Oh, come on, you're overreacting. They'll just think it was part of the plan."

Although that may be true, it did nothing to comfort Tezuka from the utter embarrassment and awkwardness he suffered from being kissed like that in public, in front of not just Seigaku, but Fudomine, Rokkaku, Hyotei, and Rikkaidai as well.

In other words, in front of some of the best tennis teams in the middle school world.

Suddenly, there was a burst of giggles, and both Tezuka and Fuji turned to find a group of girls from Hyotei watching them, their faces blushing as they giggled some more before quickly hurrying away.

Fuji let out an uneasy smile as he watched the blood rush to the bespectacled man's face.

"Tezuka," the tensai grabbed his arm playfully. "Please, can't we just enjoy ourselves for tonight? I have been waiting for this."

Tezuka paused for a moment, noting Fuji's serious request in this. Sighing, he gave in. "Aa."

Content, Fuji released his arm and began strolling next to the taller man as they began their time together at the interschool festival. "Ne, want to get something to eat?"

"Aa."

The two headed for a stand that was selling crepes. As they ordered two and began eating the sweet dessert (much to Tezuka's distaste), their eyes caught sight of two other individuals a couple feet away from them.

Sanada had just grabbed a cup of green tea ice cream and presented it to Yukimura, who promptly turned his head away, arms crossed. Panicking, the Rikkaidai man looked around frantically, head turning left and right as he tried to find something else to buy for his beloved captain.

"I would love to make that man pay for what he did, but it looks like Yukimura is doing a pretty good job of punishing him," Fuji remarked, face serious as he watched Sanada buy a candy apple and present it to his captain, who turned away from him with a 'hmph' once more. Desperate, the Rikkaidai captain began begging, clearly asking for forgiveness.

"Ne, Tezuka, are you all right?" Fuji turned to his own captain, worried about his insensitivity to the moment as he realized that this was probably uncomfortable for the taller man. But much to his surprise, Tezuka remained calm and glanced at him.

"Aa."

Fuji blinked before smiling kindly. "Come, let's go look at more booths." The two strolled passed the Rikkaidai pair, leaving Sanada to continue begging the blue-haired third year. No one noticed the glare the Seigaku captain shot at the Rikkaidai vice-captain.

Meanwhile, in the row next to them, Saeki and Bane were enjoying themselves as well.

"That was probably the funniest play ever," Saeki chuckled, still laughing from the evening's performance. "Although I'm pretty sure Tezuka was not the least bit amused." He straightened himself, coughed a little, and said in a deep, monotonous tone, "Juliet, will thou let thy kiss you?"

"I don't think that was even the line," Bane said, also laughing himself. "But I find it more amusing that Atobe couldn't sepak for a whole two hours! Talk about a relief from having to hear that arrogant man's voice every single day!"

"True, but I did feel sorry for him." Saeki smirked. "Only slightly." Turning a corner, the vice-captain and his friend noticed the Seigaku pair strolling on by. A group of girls from Seigaku passed by the student council president and the tensai, only to let out high-pitched squeals before quickly running away. Saeki tried to contain himself as he watched Tezuka's face turn a deep shade of blue and red. Smiling, the Rokkaku pair decided to approach them when they saw a familiar third year from Hyotei reach them first.

Tezuka and Fuji both turned in their footsteps upon seeing the wavy-haired boy suddenly appear before them.

"Tezuka Buchou, Fuji," he greeted.

Fuji watched him closely with suspicious, blue eyes. "Yes, Jirou?"

The Hyotei boy ignored the tensai and, instead, faced the serious, bespectacled man. "Tezuka, I have something I would like to tell you."

Tezuka blinked. "Aa. What is it?"

"I have decided that, well, I don't think I have the same feelings for you as I did before."

Fuji wanted to gag at the thought of Jirou even thinking about his Buchou in that way.

"It's just that," Jirou continued, taking a deep breath, "You see, after the play tonight…" the boy's eyes slowly looked away, avoiding the Seigaku captain's gaze. "Well, I was looking for someone a little more…different. And, you didn't turn out to be what I thought you were." He shifted his feet around, still not looking at the two before him as he peered to the side. "There's someone else who fulfills more of what I have in mind…" Those eyes landed on a certain individual a couple feet away. An angry third year with dark silver hair stomped through an aisle, his face clearly disgruntled and annoyed, as a large man followed closely behind him, obeying his every will. Jirou turned back around and looked at Tezuka once more. "Anyway, I have to go now. Bye, Tezuka Buchou." And with that, the young third year pranced away in another direction without ever looking back.

Both Tezuka and Fuji stood there, equally stunned and speechless.

"Well," Fuji finally said, "I guess there were some benefits to your bad acting."

"Fuji!"

The tensai giggled amusingly. That's right, only he is able to find Tezuka's incredibly boring and unromantic nature quite adorable. Only he can be with Tezuka, and Tezuka with him. With a coy grin, he wrapped his arms around the taller man's large one, surprising the student council president.

"Fuji, we're in public," Tezuka said in a strained voice.

"Fine," the tensai pouted, releasing his arm reluctantly. And then, unexpectedly, Fuji felt Tezuka's thumb rub across the lower bottom of his lip. The tensai froze at the contact, heart pounding rapidly as he glanced up at those deep, brown orbs.

"You have some traces of fudge from the crepe on your mouth."

"Oh, thank you," the tensai said quietly, turning around with his back facing the other man. He touched his lip and furrowed his brows, hand clasped over his mouth as his face turned a bright shade of red, much to the bespectacled captain's ignorance and obliviousness.

_Damn__ you __Tezuka_, Fuji thought to himself. _Now __I __want __to __push __you __down __and __take __you __here__ at __this __very __place._

Meanwhile, a couple feet away, Saeki and Bane, who had witnessed the whole thing, both turned to look at each other.

"Looks like things are working out fine," Bane said.

"Hm," Saeki scoffed, not completely amused as he turned around and proceeded to walk away.

"Hey, wait up!" Bane ran to quickly catch up to his friend as the two strolled through another row of booths. "Don't tell me you're suddenly jealous now! I thought you were over it!"

"I didn't say I was jealous," Saeki stated bluntly, irritated. "In fact, I'm rather happy for them."

"Oh?" Bane raised a brow, not completely convinced. And then, much to his surprise, his friend stopped, face serious and now looking at him.

"I am pretty happy for them."

Bane paused. "Okay."

The two continued walking in silence, admiring the designs the students had put into the booths. Finally wanting to avoid the crowd, the two scurried off to an area less crowded on the grassy lawn. "I hear that they're going to be having fireworks later," Bane mentioned.

"Yea, I heard that too," Saeki said. Alone on the outskirts of the festival, the two gazed at the bright lights up ahead. The festivities were boisterous, and students from the various schools intermingled amongst each other. Some made new friends. Some found new crushes. It was a very successful festival, and Saeki felt great pride in the work everyone put into this.

Bane, standing next to his friend, peered at the Rokkaku vice-captain secretly, letting out a quiet sigh. He placed his hands in his pockets, staring ahead again. "Those two went through a lot, huh?"

"Yea."

"Their bond is pretty strong." He let out a loud sigh, scratching his head. "Must be nice to be able to find someone."

There was another moment of silence as the festivity continued ahead.

"Bane."

The taller man glanced up.

"Do you want to…come over, tonight?"

"Hm?" Bane raised his head, eyes blinking. Surprised, he watched his friend carefully, who only continued to focus his eyes on the festival ahead, face seemingly unreadable. And then, with a smile, the taller Rokkaku regular leaned in and whispered into the other's ear, "Can I sleep over too?" He watched in amusement as his friend trembled, ears turning red.

Saeki swallowed. "Okay."

* * *

Tezuka organized stacks of papers into various folders in the student council room before placing everything away on the shelf. The festival was still going outside, but he decided to take the time to quickly tidy up everything and put the clubs' paperwork away before heading out to rejoin the tensai, who was currently preoccupied with the excited Kikumaru. Sighing at two weeks of work finally being done, Tezuka placed the last stack on top of the shelf.

"Even at a time like this, you don't take the time to rest and relax."

Tezuka turned his head to find the Hyotei captain at the open doorway, his body leaned back against the frame with arms crossed. The third year had a large smirk on his face as he pushed himself up to straighten himself. "Personally, I always have the student council room locked when I'm working inside."

"I didn't think anyone would be around here," Tezuka said dully, pushing the folder back against the wall before turning to fully face the other captain. "I take it your voice has fully recovered."

"Yea yea, it's back now," the Hyotei man waved it off, clearly showing he doesn't want to remember the last couple of hours when his fame was unjustly taken away from him.

Tezuka proceeded to straighten up the chairs in the room, not sure why Atobe was there when…

"Are you all right?"

Tezuka paused, surprised, and slowly looked over his shoulder at the oddity of the question when he noticed how serious Atobe looked. The silver-haired man had his hands now in his pockets as he watched the other man closely. His eyes were very clear, completely focused, and rather sincere. Tezuka watched him carefully. "Aa, thank you."

Atobe nodded. "I'll be on my way then. My team is waiting for me." He made to turn around when he suddenly stopped. "Tezuka."

Tezuka stopped moving the chairs and turned to look at the Hyotei captain once more. "Aa."

"You better beat Sanada at nationals, because, " he pointed at himself proudly with his thumb; a haughty, confident smirk on his face, "I'll be the one to defeat you at the end."

Tezuka blinked, mouth half gaping.

And then, the Hyotei man turned around, gave a single wave over his shoulder, and left.

The bespectacled man stood there alone, silent and still, before mouth curved slightly as he returned his attention to the chairs at hand.

* * *

"Ne, I can't wait for the fireworks," Fuji beamed eagerly.

"I know, it's going to be great! Yeah! I love fireworks!" Kikumaru threw up his arms before jumping up in excitement. "Ne, Oishi likes fireworks too, yea?"

The Seigaku vice-captain chuckled at the acrobatic boy's adorableness. "Yes, Oishi likes fireworks too."

"I knew it! I knew it!" Kikumaru began doing cartwheels around.

"Man, Eiji-senpai really is excited," Momoshiro said. "How about you? Do you like fireworks?" He glanced down at his favorite kohai.

Echizen shrugged. "Eh, they're okay- AH!" He struggled as Momoshiro began playfully digging his knuckles into the young first year's head.

"Hm, I wonder where Inui is," Takeshi said as he glanced around. "The fireworks are about to start."

"I heard that he's currently avoiding Kaidoh's wrath," Kikumaru remarked, stopping his cartwheels.

"Oh, yea, that's right," Momoshiro said, releasing Echizen, who began gasping for breath. "Apparently, Kaidoh's mad because Inui-senpai had tricked him drinking a juice that he said was a power drink."

"And Kaidoh believed him?" Kikumaru said in disbelief before laughing. "I can't believe he's that gullible! I wonder if he's chasing Inui around right now going 'FSSSSHHHHHH, I will kill you with my snake powers, Inui!'" The acrobatic boy hissed and made an exaggerated scary face with large eyes, causing the group to burst into laughter.

Standing behind the group, Fuji and Tezuka watched their teammates enjoy themselves. "Ne, so, are you happy with the way the festival turned out?"

"Aa. Everyone did a good job," Tezuka nodded.

Fuji smiled. "You did a good job too."

Tezuka blinked, slightly looking away.

Fuji's eyes opened, rather surprise by this reaction.

"I'm sorry, for ruining the play for you and everyone."

The tensai was taken back by this apology. It was typical of Tezuka to take everything seriously, but he was still rather stunned by this. He chuckled and leaned up to leave a peck on Tezuka's cheek.

Tezuka's eyes widened, and he turned to look at Fuji with a puzzled face.

"To me, you will always be my Romeo. My very serious but loveable Romeo," the tensai smiled brightly.

The serious man relaxed himself, taking in the warmth before letting out a half smile too.

"Look! The fireworks began!" Kikumaru pointed as everyone turned to look up at the sky. Suddenly, there was a burst of colorful lights, followed by a shimmer of flares and dancing stars as the loud bursts boomed across the night. Everyone gasped in awe and admiration as the fireworks shot up one by one from one of the rooftops of the buildings.

Meanwhile, across the festival on the other side was the Rokkaku pair who stood side by side, eyes wide at the beauty of the colors flying down while their freshman captain threw up his arms in excitement and chatted away to his teammates about the festival. Two rows away sat Atobe and his whole team as they gathered around on a blanket on the grass and watched quietly in admiration. A couple feet in front stood the Fudomine captain and his sister, with the former placing a hand on his pant pocket where the precious pocketknife his sister had given him now lay safely. Towards the inside of the crowd in the middle, the Rikkaidai captain and his vice-captain ate their green mochi ice cream together as they watched the tiny lights bounce off each other high above them.

Further up the grassy lawn behind the Seigaku team, Tezuka and Fuji stared up into the sky, gazing at shades of purple sprinkled with tints of blue as strands of orange and yellow trickled down in a beautiful seamless stream.

"I can't believe this is our last year at Seigaku," Fuji commented, a slight hint of nostalgia already taking over his voice.

"Aa."

"We made a lot of memories here."

"Aa."

"Will you miss Seigaku when we graduate?"

There was a small pause before the serious man answered. "Aa."

Fuji smiled. The festivity continued as everyone cheered at the finale approaching. More and more fireworks were launched into the sky, earning more awes from everyone below. That's right, they had all made many memories here. From the first day the regulars met as freshmen in the tennis club they had joined, to their first steps in becoming regulars, to their time spent as classmates, and to their journey to win nationals.

Yes, many memories were made at Seigaku, ones that will forever be treasured in each of their hearts.

Suddenly, the tensai felt something brush up against his fingers lightly. Blinking, he paused for a moment before realizing. He smiled and moved his fingers over more to the left. Long ones tangled with slender ones, wrapping over them as the tiny sound of two silver rings touching rang melodically before being swallowed up by the burst of fireworks high above.

The bespectacled man and smiling tensai stood side by side, watching as colorful lights danced across the night sky over the interschool festival.

* * *

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**Epilogue will be up soon!  
**


	28. Chapter 28

Epilogue

It was a warm day that afternoon in Seigaku. Two weeks had passed by since the interschool festival, and the students had all returned to their normal routine of classes, club activities, and homework. A few of the students had retained items and decorations left from their booths at the festival, storing them away in club rooms' shelves and lockers as memorabilia. Others continued to chatter about their time at the event, already missing the fun and the opportunities to make new friends from other schools. But in another few weeks, the interschool festival will just be another faint memory in the back of the minds of these students.

That is, except for two unique individuals in particular.

Tezuka stared at the ring on his hand, noting its polished silvery surface as the sun shined down on it. He was never one to wear any jewelry at all, especially a ring. But that was because it would be rather inconvenient given that he plays tennis on a daily basis. In fact, wearing any forms of jewelry would be highly discouraged during tennis practice and matches.

However, he will make an exception for this one.

"Tezuka, the regulars finished their training regimen. What would you like them to do next?"

The Seigaku Buchou looked up at his best friend. "Aa, Oishi. Tell them to gather their things for a last meeting before they are released."

Oishi nodded. "I understand. Also," he looked off to the side. "Don't you think those two are punished enough?"

About a hundred feet away, Echizen and Momoshiro were running past the third court, their faces completely flushed, their shirts drenched in sweat, and their limbs ready to give out from lack of energy.

Tezuka felt a nerve pop. "They still have one more day."

The vice captain let out a sigh, knowing very well that his best friend was not one to budge and back out of anything he had firmly instilled. "I'll go get the rest of the regulars then."

* * *

By the time practice was over and the regulars were on their way home, the sun was slowly inching towards the horizon before the early evening would arrive. Tezuka tightened the strap on his tennis bag, checking that he had everything with him, before closing his locker.

"You ready?" Fuji smiled.

"Aa."

The two exited the clubhouse, locking the door behind them as they were the last ones to leave, and walked off the school grounds. By then, the streets were rather empty, as most of everyone had headed home just before dinner. The Seigaku captain and tensai walked next to each other in silence, their strides peaceful and quiet as they crossed an intersection and turned a corner.

"I can't believe the interschool festival was two weeks ago. Time really flies by," Fuji started first.

"Aa."

"You and the student council must feel relieved when it was over. I'm sure your responsibilities have lightened up by a lot since then."

At this, Tezuka didn't answer. Truth was, their responsibilities were still heavy even after the festival. There was a list of complaints they still had to go through involving club members who accused other clubs of either stealing their tools (most likely it was because the other club had simply forgotten to return the items) or disrupting their booths. For a second, Tezuka entertained the idea of limiting the number of clubs on campus since fewer clubs would mean fewer complaints.

"Tezuka?"

The bespectacled third year shook out of his reverie. "Aa."

"We have come a long way, haven't we?"

Tezuka blinked and turned to look at the road.

Fuji smiled, looking straight ahead now as well. "To think that we came this far after everything. It's been a rather bumpy ride, hasn't it?" He chuckled slightly. "I'm really happy that I met you our freshman year, Tezuka."

Tezuka avoided looking at the tensai, his stoic face firmly rooted on the road ahead, but barely masking the slight tint of pink appearing on his cheeks.

Fuji grinned wider, knowing that the serious man could only hide so much of himself. To others, he was just a stern, stoic, disciplinary man incapable of emotions. But to the tensai, he was his shy Buchou too embarrassed to show anything of that sort. And Fuji preferred it that way – only he can see that side of Tezuka. And he often does when they're in bed…

"Tezuka."

The bespectacled man turned his attention to the tensai.

"Do you want to…come over tonight?"

Tezuka paused, slightly startled. He looked straight ahead. "I forgot my cell phone today. I'll need to borrow your phone to call home."

Fuji smiled. Oh yes, he will be doing lots of delicious things to Tezuka tonight.

The two continued to walk in silence, passing by neighborhood after neighborhood. They ran into a cat, which had stopped and purred and begged to be pet. They saw the same woman they had met a few weeks ago in her garden, tending to the beautiful roses that had fully blossomed around her. They saw the lights inside houses begin to turn on along the streets as they passed by, indicating that dinnertime was fast approaching.

The large firey ball above blanketed the sky with its colorful warm hues as the air began to cool.

"Tezuka, what do you think will happen in the future?"

"I'm not sure what you're asking."

Fuji let out a half disappointed sigh. "I mean, about us?"

At this, Tezuka stopped and faced the tensai. He seemed visibly confused by the question, but upon seeing the look on Fuji's face, he softened his eyes and said, "Shuusuke."

Fuji nearly jumped, not expecting to suddenly be addressed by his name.

"No one can ever know what will happen in the future." Brown orbs looked straight into blue ones. "But all I know for sure is that I want to be with you, now...and then."

Fuji's heart fluttered as he felt the air slowly leave his chest. Breathing out, he blinked and looked at strong but kind brown eyes that glanced down gently at him. Lips curving into a smile, he beamed brightly and nodded his head. "Hm, I feel the same."

By now, the sun was rapidly making its descent, and the sky turned a darker shade of orange as golden hues now washed over the faces of the two Seigaku boys standing on the sidewalk.

Tezuka and Fuji turned in their steps and continued walking, the air around them leaving them with its last bit of warmness before the night sky would appear.

Fuji stole a peak at Tezuka and noted the serious man's ears, which were flushed red. Chuckling quietly in amusement, he said playfully, "Ne, say it again."

"Hm?"

"What you just said."

Tezuka paused for a moment. "No."

"Oi, Tezuka!" Fuji pouted. "You finally said something romantic, and on your own. If only you spoke like that in the play, my Romeo."

"Fuji, I am not in the mood to be reminded of that!"

Fuji laughed. "Ne, at least let me hear it again."

"No."

"Tezuka, you're no fun!"

"Fuji, you're acting childish."

"Ah…" Fuji turned away, pouting. He finally got to see hints of a small romantic side of Tezuka, and already, the stubborn bespectacled man recoiled back to his usual self. Seriously, why must he be so difficult? The tensai sighed. And then, with a coy grin, Fuji said, "It's okay. With what I'm going to do to you tonight, I'll make sure you say it again."

Tezuka stiffened, face flushed as he shot Fuji a warning glare. "Fuji, we're in public!"

But the tensai only smiled back widely and innocently.

Sighing and groaning quietly in defeat, Tezuka straightened himself as they continued walking. He didn't even want to think too much about what the tensai had in mind for tonight's…activities.

"Kunimitsu."

Now it was the bespectacled boy's turn to be surprised. "Aa."

"I have leftover eel rice. Do you want to eat that for dinner?"

Tezuka blinked. "Aa, that sounds good."

A car passed by on the road, one of the last few of the day in that small stretch of neighborhood. A few children across the street quickly ran into their homes, ready to eat the dinner their mothers had prepared. Meanwhile, two or three individuals had just stepped out of their cars and walked up their driveways, finally having gotten off work to enjoy some quality time with their families.

Out on the sidewalk over a small hill in the road of that quiet neighborhood, the last streetlamp turned on to light the path, just as the Seigaku Buchou and smiling tensai passed by it, the pair walking side by side with their tennis bags hanging over their shoulders as they headed towards the last bit of the sunset.

* * *

**Thank you everyone for reading this story and the stories before that. It has been a long journey since the very first part of this series, and I'm surprised that it has been practically 3 years already since the first one was released in November of 2008! Thank you for all the comments and reviews. I read them all, and was surprised at times at how some of you were getting pretty close to the answers to the mystery. It was fun watching you all discuss the story and write your guesses. I had to refrain from commenting on any of them in order to not give the story away. **

**As you all know, this is the final chapter to "The Harassment of Buchou" series. I had never expected the story to become so popular and expand into a three-part series. What started out as originally just a few short chapters ended up becoming more than I had anticipated.  
**

**Thank you all for reading and showing such enthusiasm. Your comments really encouraged me to continue to write, and I am deeply grateful for that. **

**I may write one shots in the future on these two, but at this point in time, I plan on moving on to continue my Zelda stories. I hope some of you will check those out as well!**

**Again, thank you all for your support, and for being there every step of the way during Tezuka's and Fuji's journey!**


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